Monocarboxyoctyl phthalate is associated with platelet count: evidence from a large cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Hematology

Background:

• Phthalates are widespread environmental pollutants with known adverse health effects.
• The specific impact of phthalate exposure on platelet count in adults is not well understood.
• Urinary phthalate metabolites serve as biomarkers for exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between urinary concentrations of five phthalate metabolites and platelet count in US adults.
• To determine if specific phthalate metabolites are correlated with altered platelet counts.
• To explore potential dose-response relationships and sex-specific effects.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 11,409 US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2005-2018).
• Measured urinary levels of five phthalate metabolites: mono-(carboxyisononyl) phthalate (MCNP), mono-(carboxyoctyl) phthalate (MCOP), mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), and mono-isononyl phthalate (MNP).
• Employed weighted logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS) modeling, and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression to assess associations.

Main Results:

• Higher urinary MCOP levels were significantly associated with lower platelet counts (OR = 0.009).
• Negative correlations between MCOP and platelet count were observed across all age and sex groups.
• Mono-(carboxyisononyl) phthalate (MCNP) showed a negative association with platelet count in females (OR = 0.083).
• MCOP exhibited a nonlinear relationship with platelet count, and WQS analysis confirmed MCOP's association.

Conclusions:

• Elevated urinary MCOP levels are associated with reduced platelet counts in adults.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
• The study highlights the potential hematological impact of phthalate exposure.