Benzophenones exposure and precocious puberty in Chinese children: A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Environmental Health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Benzophenones (BPs) are widely used UV filters in personal care products.
• BPs are suspected endocrine disruptors, but epidemiological data on their link to childhood precocious puberty (PP) is limited.
• PP is a common endocrine disorder in children, characterized by early onset of puberty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between exposure to benzophenones and precocious puberty in children.
• To assess the impact of specific benzophenone compounds and co-exposure on PP development.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 298 children diagnosed with PP and 298 matched controls.
• Urinary concentrations of five benzophenones were quantified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
• Statistical analyses included conditional logistic regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR).

Main Results:

• High detection frequencies of 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1) (100%) and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BP-3) (96%) were observed.
• Elevated urinary levels of BP-1, BP-3, and 4-OH-BP were significantly associated with increased odds of PP.
• Co-exposure to multiple BPs showed a stronger association with PP, particularly central precocious puberty (CPP).

Conclusions:

• Benzophenone exposure may be associated with the development of precocious puberty in children.
• Findings suggest BP exposure could be a risk factor for PP, warranting further investigation.
• Prospective studies are needed to confirm causality and the role of BPs in pubertal development.