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Pilot study: Unveiling the impact of bisphenol A and phthalate exposure on women with asthma
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This study examined microplastic ingestion in commercially important cephalopods from the North Atlantic. Plastic particles were identified in the digestive glands of a high proportion of individuals, indicating that microplastic contamination extends to deep-sea and open-ocean food webs.
Endocrine disruptors are considered estrogenic disruptors, and recent researches suggested that they may have a link to the severity of asthma. We aim to validate the correlation between endocrine disruptors and various clinical measurements of asthma, depending on the menopausal status. A pilot case-control study was performed in female asthmatic patients who visited allergy clinic in SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center. Medical information and the urinary concentrations of 4 endocrine disruptors on their first visit were collected and analyzed: bisphenol A, mono (2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, and mono-n-butyl phthalate. A total of 35 female participants enrolled in the study, including 20 asthmatic patients and 15 healthy controls. The average concentrations of urinary endocrine disruptors in patient and control group did not demonstrate significant differences. Twenty asthmatic patients were divided into 2 groups according to their menstrual state. Using the Spearman rank correlation test in premenopausal asthmatic patients (n = 7), we found negative correlations between urinary concentration of mono-n-butyl phthalate and asthma control test score, as well as postbronchodilator forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% of forced vital capacity (P-value = .007 and .04, respectively). In contrast, it did not show any correlation with asthma control test or postbronchodilator forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% of forced vital capacity (P-value = 1.00 and .74, respectively) in postmenopausal group (n = 13). Endocrine disruptors might have an impact on the decline of small airway function and asthma management among premenopausal, but not postmenopausal, female asthmatic patients.
More Papers Like This
The association between urinary BPA concentrations and urinary incontinence in women
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This study analyzed NHANES data from 467 women and found that those with the highest urinary BPA concentrations faced more than twice the risk of urge urinary incontinence, even after adjusting for age, BMI, and health conditions. The findings suggest environmental BPA exposure may disrupt bladder control mechanisms, though longitudinal research is needed to confirm causality.
Increased di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure poses a differential risk for adult asthma clusters
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Researchers analyzed data linking urinary metabolites of DEHP — a phthalate plasticizer (a chemical added to plastics to make them flexible) found in food packaging, medical devices, and household products — to asthma risk, finding that certain asthma subtypes showed heightened vulnerability to these exposures. The results suggest DEHP metabolites may affect immune pathways in asthma through mechanisms distinct from classic inflammatory responses.
Environmental estrogen exposures alter molecular signaling in immune cells that promote the development of childhood asthma
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Chemicals that mimic estrogen, like BPA and BPS found in plastics, may change the way immune cells behave at a molecular level, potentially making kids more prone to developing asthma. In lab tests on human immune cells, these estrogen-like compounds altered key signaling pathways that control immune function, suggesting one way everyday exposure to plastics-related chemicals could contribute to rising asthma rates. While this early research was done in cells rather than in people, it adds to concerns about how common chemical exposures might shape our children's health.
Effect of endocrine disrupting chemicals on early disease course in Multiple sclerosis (P5-3.004)
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A small pilot study found that female multiple sclerosis patients with higher levels of phthalate metabolites in their urine were more likely to have recently initiated disease, suggesting a possible link between exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals — commonly found in plastics — and MS onset. While the sample size is very small and the findings are preliminary, phthalates are widespread microplastic-associated chemicals that may warrant attention as a neurological risk factor in women.
Advances in understanding the reproductive toxicity of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in women
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This review examines how endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A, phthalates, and triclosan may interfere with the female reproductive system. Evidence indicates that these chemicals, found widely in the environment, can disrupt hormone function and may contribute to adverse reproductive outcomes, though the precise mechanisms are still being studied.
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