Time-varying associations of gestational and childhood triclosan with pubertal and adrenarchal outcomes in early adolescence

Hannah E Laue; Bruce P Lanphear; Antonia M Calafat; Kim M Cecil; Aimin Chen; Yingying Xu; Heidi J Kalkwarf; Juliette C Madan; Margaret R Karagas; Kimberly Yolton; Abby F Fleisch; Joseph M Braun

doi:10.1097/EE9.0000000000000305

Time-varying associations of gestational and childhood triclosan with pubertal and adrenarchal outcomes in early adolescence

Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Mar 28;8(2):e305. doi: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000305. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Authors

Hannah E Laue¹, Bruce P Lanphear², Antonia M Calafat³, Kim M Cecil^{4

5}, Aimin Chen⁶, Yingying Xu⁵, Heidi J Kalkwarf⁵, Juliette C Madan^{1

7}, Margaret R Karagas¹, Kimberly Yolton⁵, Abby F Fleisch^{8

9}, Joseph M Braun¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
² Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
³ Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
⁶ Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
⁷ Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
⁸ Center for Interdisciplinary and Population Health Research, Maine Institute for Research, Portland, Maine.
⁹ Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine.
¹⁰ Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

Abstract

Background: Triclosan is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, but associations with pubertal outcomes remain unclear. We examined associations of gestational and childhood triclosan with adolescent hormone concentrations and pubertal stage.

Methods: We quantified urinary triclosan concentrations twice during pregnancy and seven times between birth and 12 years in participants recruited from Cincinnati, OH (2003-2006). We averaged concentrations across pregnancy and childhood and separately considered individual exposure periods in multiple informant models. At 12 years, we measured serum hormone concentrations (males [n = 72] and females [n = 84]-dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone; males-testosterone; females-estradiol). Also at age 12 years, participants self-reported physical development and menarchal timing. We estimated associations (95% confidence interval) of triclosan with hormone concentrations, more advanced physical development, and age at menarche.

Results: For females, each doubling of childhood triclosan was associated with 16% lower estradiol concentrations (-29%, 0%), with stronger associations for measures closer to adolescence. We found suggestive evidence that higher triclosan at any age was associated with ~10% (for gestational triclosan: -18%, -2%) lower follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations among males and early postnatal (1-3 years) triclosan was associated with 63% (5%, 96%) lower odds of advanced pubic hair development in females. In multiple informant models, each doubling of gestational triclosan concentrations was associated with 5% (0%, 9%) earlier age at menarche, equivalent to 5.5 months.

Conclusion: Gestational and childhood triclosan concentrations were related to some pubertal outcomes including hormone concentrations and age at menarche. Our findings highlight the relevance of elucidating potential sex-specific and time-dependent actions of triclosan.

Keywords: Adrenarche; Endocrine disruption; Puberty; Triclosan.

Abstract

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