Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Relationship between Blood Trihalomethane Concentrations and Serum Thyroid Function Measures in U.S. Adults.

Authors: Sun, Yang; Xia, Peng-Fei; Korevaar, T I M; Mustieles, Vicente; Zhang, Yu; Pan, Xiong-Fei; Wang, Yi-Xin; Messerlian, Carmen

Published In Environ Sci Technol, (2021 Oct 19)

Abstract: Toxicological studies show that exposure to disinfection byproducts, including trihalomethanes (THMs), negatively affects thyroid function; however, few epidemiological studies have explored this link. This study included 2233 adults (ages ≥20 years) from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) who were measured for blood THM concentrations [chloroform (TCM), bromodichloromethane (BDCM), dibromochloromethane (DBCM), or bromoform (TBM)] and serum thyroid function biomarkers [thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine (FT4), total thyroxine (TT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total triiodothyronine (TT3), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb)]. Multivariable linear regression models showed positive associations between blood TCM, BDCM, and total THMs (the sum of all four THMs) concentrations and serum FT4, whereas inverse associations were found between blood DBCM and total brominated THM (Br-THM; the sum of BDCM, DBCM, and TBM) concentrations and serum TT3 (all p < 0.05). Besides, positive associations were observed between blood TCM concentrations and FT4/FT3 ratio, between BDCM, DBCM, and Br-THM concentrations and TT4/TT3 ratio, and between DBCM and Br-THM concentrations and FT3/TT3 ratio (all p < 0.05). Blood THM concentrations were unrelated to the serum levels of thyroid autoantibodies TgAb or TPOAb. In summary, exposure to THMs was associated with altered serum biomarkers of thyroid function but not with thyroid autoimmunity among U.S. adults.

PubMed ID: 34617747 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Chloroform; Disinfection; Nutrition Surveys; Thyroid Gland*; Trihalomethanes; Water Pollutants, Chemical*

Back
to Top