2. Academic Validation
  3. Association between urinary propylene oxide metabolite and the risk of dyslexia

Association between urinary propylene oxide metabolite and the risk of dyslexia

  • Environ Pollut. 2022 Jan 1;292(Pt B):118469. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118469.
Qi Liu 1,  Yanjian Wan 2,  Bing Zhu 3,  Xinyan Xie 1,  Kaiheng Zhu 1,  Qi Jiang 1,  Yanan Feng 1,  Pei Xiao 1,  Zhen Xiang 1,  Xiaoqian Wu 1,  Jiajia Zhang 4,  Heng Meng 1,  Ranran Song 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
  • 2 Institute of Environmental Health, Wuhan Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Wuhan, Hubei, 430024, PR China.
  • 3 Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310021, China.
  • 4 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
  • 5 Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 34752792 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118469
Abstract

Although it is a probable human carcinogen, propylene oxide is widely applied in industry and daily life. However, data on neurodevelopmental effects of propylene oxide exposure among children are extremely limited. We aimed to determine the urinary concentrations of propylene oxide metabolite among school-aged children and evaluate the potential association of propylene oxide exposure with risk of dyslexia. A total of 355 dyslexic children and 390 controls were recruited from three cities (Jining, Wuhan, and Hangzhou) in China, between 2017 and 2020. Urinary N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxypropyl)-L-cysteine (i.e., 2-hydroxypropyl mercapturic acid; 2-HPMA) was measured as the biomarker of propylene oxide exposure. The detection frequency of 2-HPMA was 100%. After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratio (OR) for dyslexia per 2-fold increase in urinary 2-HPMA was 1.19 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.01, 1.40, P = 0.042]. Compared with the lowest quartile of urinary 2-HPMA concentrations, children with the highest quartile of 2-HPMA had a 1.63-fold (95% CI: 1.03, 2.56, P = 0.036) significantly increased risk of dyslexia, with a dose-response relationship (P-trend = 0.047). This study provides epidemiological data on the potential association between propylene oxide exposure and the risk of dyslexia in children. Further studies are warranted to confirm the findings and reveal the underlying biological mechanisms.

Keywords

Biomonitoring; Child; Dyslexia; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Propylene oxide; Urinary 2-HPMA.

Figures
Products