Abstract
This study aimed to assess the association between urinary concentrations of chlorophenols and childhood central obesity. The study subjects were 165 girls (91 with central obesity and 74 with non-central obesity) aged 7–8 years who visited a hospital for regular health check-ups. The urinary concentrations of chlorophenols including 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP), 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP), and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The central obesity group showed significantly higher urinary concentrations of 2,5-DCP (0.56 vs. 0.28 ng/mL) and 2,4,5-TCP (0.06 vs. 0.03 ng/mL) than the non-central obesity group. The sum of molar concentrations of urinary chlorophenols was also significantly higher in the central obesity group than in the non-central obesity group (9.83 vs. 5.26 nmol/L). Girls in the highest quartile of the molar sum of chlorophenols showed significantly higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) compared with the lowest quartile after adjusting for covariates. WC and WHtR, but not BMI, were significantly associated with higher quartiles of the molar sum of chlorophenols (P-for-trend = 0.025 and 0.028, respectively). We found a positive association between chlorophenol exposure and central obesity in Korean girls. Large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and laboratory/statistical analysis were performed by Moon Young Seo, Man Ho Choi, Youngmin Hong, Shin-Hye Kim, and Mi Jung Park. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Moon Young Seo and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Before conducting the study, the research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (approval number: SGPAIK 2018-12-010). Subjects and their parents were fully informed about the purpose of the study and provided informed consent before participation.
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Seo, M.Y., Choi, M.H., Hong, Y. et al. Association of urinary chlorophenols with central obesity in Korean girls. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 1966–1972 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10628-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10628-z