Serum Testosterone Concentrations and Urinary Bisphenol A, Benzophenone-3, Triclosan, and Paraben Levels in Male and Female Children and Adolescents: NHANES 2011-2012

Background: Exposure to environmental phenols (e. g., bisphenolA, benzophenone-3, and triclosan) and parabens is widespread in the population. Many of these chemicals have been shown to have anti-androgenic effects both invitro and invivo. Objective: We examined the association of bisphenolA (BPA), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), triclosan (TCS), and parabens with serum total testosterone (TT) levels in child and adolescent participants (ages 6-19years) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012. Methods: We performed multivariable linear regression to estimate associations between natural log-transformed serum TT and quartiles of urinary BPA, BP-3, TCS, and parabens in male and female children (ages 6-11years) and adolescents (ages 12-19years). Results: BP-3 and BPA were associated with significantly lower TT in male adolescents, and BPA was associated with significantly higher TT in female adolescents. TT was not consistently -associated with TCS or total parabens in children or adolescents of either sex. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to report an association of both BP-3 and BPA with serum TT in adolescents. Associations between BPA and TT differed according to sex in adolescents, with inverse associations in boys and positive associations in girls. BP-3 was associated with significantly lower TT in adolescent boys only. However, because of the limitations inherent to the cross-sectional study design, further studies are needed to confirm and elucidate on our findings.