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Urinary concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol and diabetes in US adults

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 26, pages 329–333 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Para-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) products are widely used in the home and public buildings, leading to exposure to this chemical in indoor environments. In this study, we explored potential relationships between p-DCB exposure and diabetes in US adults by analyzing a nationally representative subsample of 3063 adult participants aged 20–79 years randomly selected for measurement of urinary concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP), the major metabolite of p-DCB, in the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Median urinary 2,5-DCP concentration was 7.0 μg/l (interquartile range: 2.1–29.9). Of the participants, 560 (13.6%) were diabetic. A dose-dependent increase in the prevalence of diabetes was observed in the study participants across quartiles of urinary 2,5-DCP (P-trend<0.0001). After adjusting for potential confounders, individuals in the highest quartile of urinary 2,5-DCP had an increased odds of diabetes (OR=1.59 (95% CI: 1.06, 2.40)) compared with individuals with the lowest quartile. The highest quartile of urinary 2,5-DCP was also positively associated with insulin resistance (adjusted β=0.75; 95% CI: 0.27, 1.24). This study demonstrated a potential association between exposure to p-DCB, measured as urinary concentrations of 2,5-DCP, and diabetes in US adults. Additional epidemiologic and mechanistic studies would further explore these interactions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia, USA

    Yudan Wei

  2. Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia, USA

    Jianmin Zhu

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  1. Yudan Wei
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Correspondence to Yudan Wei.

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Wei, Y., Zhu, J. Urinary concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol and diabetes in US adults. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 26, 329–333 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.19

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