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Phosphate Flame Retardants and Plasticizers and Their Association with Reproductive and Steroid Hormone Levels among

Atsuko Ikeda1,2, Takeshi Yamaguchi2,3, Yu Ait Bamai2,4

  • 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0812, Japan.

Environmental Science & Technology
|March 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers (PFRs) in children is linked to altered reproductive and steroid hormones. These chemicals may disrupt hormonal balance during critical developmental stages, impacting endocrine health.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Endocrinology
  • Pediatric Health

Background:

  • Peripubertal children are vulnerable to endocrine disruption from environmental chemicals.
  • Organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers (PFRs) are common environmental contaminants.
  • Understanding PFRs' impact on children's hormones is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate associations between PFR exposure and reproductive/steroid hormones in peripubertal children.
  • To analyze individual PFRs and PFR mixtures using advanced statistical models.
  • To identify specific hormonal changes linked to PFR exposure in boys and girls.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 429 children (aged 9-12 years) from the Hokkaido Birth Cohort.
  • Measurement of 13 urinary PFR metabolites and 18 hormones (steroid and reproductive) using LC-MS/MS and immunoassays.
  • Application of linear regression, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian machine kernel regression (BKMR) for association analyses.

Main Results:

  • In boys, PFRs were associated with increased estradiol and decreased insulin-like factor-3 (INSL3) and luteinizing hormone (LH).
  • In girls, specific PFRs correlated with androstenedione and testosterone levels.
  • PFR mixtures showed trends of altered estradiol, androstenedione, testosterone, cortisol, cortisone, LH, inhibin B, and INSL3 in both sexes.

Conclusions:

  • Individual PFRs and their mixtures significantly alter steroid and reproductive hormone levels in peripubertal children.
  • Findings highlight potential endocrine-disrupting effects of PFRs during a critical developmental window.
  • Further research is warranted to understand the long-term health implications of PFR-induced hormonal changes.

Keywords:
childrencross-sectionalendocrine disrupting chemicalsmenarcheorganophosphate triestersphosphate flame retardantspuberty

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