Benzophenone-3 is a type of ketone with 2 benzene rings attached to a carbonyl group (C=O) and one benzene ring attached to a hydroxyl group (-OH). As an endocrine-disrupting chemical, benzophenone-3 is known to be associated with reproductive, developmental, thyroid, and endocrine toxicities. Benzophenone-3 is commonly used in hair products, cosmetics, and ultraviolet (UV) filters because of its characteristic property to absorb UV light. This study aims to investigate the association between the use of hair products and urine benzophenone-3 using the data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) cycle 4 (2018–2020), which represents the Korean population.

Using the KoNEHS cycle 4 survey, the data of 3,796 adults aged ≥ 19 years were analyzed. Based on the 75th percentile concentration of urine benzophenone-3, the participants were divided into the low- and high-concentration groups. Chi-square test was conducted to analyze the association of urine benzophenone-3 with distribution of general characteristics, use of personal care products, consumption of marine foods, and use of plastic products as the variable. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for the high-concentration group of urine benzophenone-3 based on the use of hair products.

Women with < 6 times or ≥ 6 times of hair product usage had significantly higher adjusted ORs compared to those who did not use hair products. The calculated ORs were 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12–1.38) for women with < 6 times of usage and 1.54 (95% CI: 1.33–1.79) for women with ≥ 6 times of usage.

This study revealed the association between the use of hair products and the concentration of urine benzophenone-3 in the general Korean population.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are non-aromatic organic compounds, whose hydrogen atoms in the carbon chain substituted by fluorine atoms. PFASs exhibit developmental toxicity, carcinogenicity, hepatotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, and hormone toxicity. PFASs are used in the production of disposable food packages, aircraft and automobile devices, cooking utensils, outdoor gear, furniture and carpets, aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), cables and wires, electronics, and semiconductors. This study aimed to determine the association between crustacean consumption and serum PFASs.

Adult participants (2,993) aged ≥ 19 years were extracted from the 4th cycle data of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS). Based on the 50th percentile concentrations of serum PFASs, participants were divided into the low-concentration group (LC) and the high-concentration group (HC). General characteristics, dietary factors, coated product usage, and personal care product usage, an independent t-test and χ² test were analyzed. The odds ratio (OR) of serum PFAS concentration against crustacean consumption was estimated via logistic regression analysis adjusting for general characteristics, dietary factors, coated product usage, and personal care product usage.

The OR for the HC of serum PFASs was higher in individuals with ≥once a week crustacean consumption than in those with < once a week crustacean consumption. Estimated ORs were perfluorohexanesulfonic acid 2.15 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.53–3.02), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07–1.41), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA) 1.42 (95% CI: 1.17–1.74) in males, and perfluorooctanoic acid 1.48 (95% CI: 1.19–1.84), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid 1.39 (95% CI: 1.27–1.52), PFNA 1.70 (95% CI: 1.29–2.26) and PFDeA 1.43 (95% CI: 1.32–1.54) in females.

This study revealed the association between the crustacean consumption and concentrations of serum PFASs in general Korean population.

Plastics are high-molecular-weight materials composed of long carbon chains. They are prevalent in daily life, present in various items such as food containers and microwavable packaging. Phthalates, an additive used to enhance their flexibility, are endocrine-disrupting chemicals. We utilized the data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) cycle 3, representing the general South Korean population, to investigate the relationship between the use of plastics in refrigerator food storage and phthalate exposure.

We assessed 3,333 adult participants (aged ≥ 19 years) including 1,526 men and 1,807 women, using data from KoNEHS cycle 3. Using the 75th percentile concentration, urine phthalate metabolites were categorized into high and low-concentration groups. χ² test was conducted to analyze variations in the distribution of each variable, considering sociodemographic factors, health-related factors, food intake, the use of plastics, and the concentration of urine phthalate metabolites as the variables. To calculate odds ratios (ORs) for the high-concentration group of urine phthalate metabolites based on the use of plastics in refrigerator food storage, logistic regression analysis was conducted.

In men, the use of plastics in refrigerator food storage had significantly higher adjusted ORs compared to those using the others. The adjusted ORs were calculated as follows: mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) had an OR of 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.72), mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) had an OR of 1.48 (95% CI: 1.16–1.88), mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP) had an OR of 1.32 (95% CI: 1.04–1.66), ∑di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (∑DEHP) had an OR of 1.37 (95% CI: 1.08–1.74) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) had an OR of 1.44 (95% CI: 1.13–1.84).

The concentrations of urine phthalate metabolites (MEHHP, MEOHP, MECPP, ∑DEHP, and MnBP) were significantly higher in men who used plastics in refrigerator food storage compared to those using the others.

Phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals that are widely used in the production of items of daily life such as in polyvinylchloride plastics, insecticides, and medical devices. This study aimed to determine the association between phthalate exposure and shellfish consumption using data from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) cycle 3 (2015–2017), which is a nationally representative survey.

In this study, we analyzed the KoNEHS cycle 3 data of 3,333 (1,526 men and 1,807 women) adults aged more than 19 years. Data related to the variables of sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, dietary factors, seafood consumption frequency, and urinary phthalate metabolites concentrations were collected. The concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites of all the participants were divided into quartiles to define high and low concentration groups based on the 75th percentile concentration. A χ² test was conducted to analyze the distribution of independent variables. To analyze the relationship between shellfish consumption and phthalate exposure, the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression analysis.

Total adults with shellfish consumption frequency of over once a week showed the following adjusted ORs for high concentrations of the following metabolites compared with the group that consumed shellfish once a week or less: 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–2.06) for mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), 1.43 (95% CI: 1.01–2.03) for mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), 1.57 (95% CI: 1.10–2.24) for ∑di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (∑DEHP), 2.01 (95% CI: 1.46–2.77) for mono-carboxyoctyl phthalate (MCOP), 1.56 (95% CI: 1.11–2.18) for mono-carboxy-isononly phthalate (MCNP), and 2.57 (95% CI: 1.85–3.56) for mono (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP).

The concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites (MEOHP, MECPP, ∑DEHP, MCOP, MCNP, and MCPP) were higher in adults with a higher frequency of shellfish consumption.

Benzene is a ubiquitous air pollutant that is well known to cause hematopoietic effects in humans including leukemia. Recently, several studies have discussed its non-carcinogenic effects such as diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the association between diabetes and urinary trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA), one of benzene metabolite, using adult data from Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) cycle 3 (2015–2017).

This study analyzed 3,777 adults (1,645 men and 2,132 women) from the KoNEHS cycle 3 (2015–2017). The distribution and fraction of each independent variable were presented separately according to the urinary benzene metabolite levels (t,t-MA quartiles) and diabetes to determine the general characteristics of the subjects. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression after stratification by gender and smoking status to identify the association between urinary t,t-MA and diabetes.

Compared with the first quartile (reference), the risk of diabetes significantly increased above the 4th (1.834 [1.107–3.039]) quartile in men and above the 3rd (1.826 [1.095–3.044]) and 4th (2.243 [1.332–3.776]) quartiles in women after adjustment. Stratified analysis based on smoking revealed that the ORs for the 3rd (1.847 [1.146–2.976]) and 4th (1.862 [1.136–3.052]) quartiles in non-smokers and those for the 2nd (1.721 [1.046–2.832]), 3rd (1.797 [1.059–3.050]), and 4th (2.546 [1.509–4.293]) quartiles in smokers were significantly higher.

We confirmed that urinary t,t-MA is significantly associated with diabetes regardless of gender and smoking status. And further studies are necessary to access the clinical impacts of this findings.

This study aimed to identify the relationship between exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and seafood consumption using a nationally representative data of the general Korean population.

This study was conducted on 5,402 adults aged 19 years and older (2,488 men, 2,914 women) based on the second Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2012–2014). We stratified the data according to gender and analyzed urinary BPA concentrations in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, dietary factor, and seafood consumption. In the high and low BPA exposure groups, the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression analysis according to the top 75th percentile concentration.

In men, large fish and tuna and other seafood categories had significantly higher ORs before and after adjustment in the group who consumed seafood more than once a week than in the group who rarely consumed seafood, with an adjusted value of 1.97 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12–3.48) and 1.74 (95% CI: 1.10–2.75), respectively. In the shellfish category, the unadjusted OR was 1.61 (95% CI: 1.00–2.59), which was significantly higher in the group who consumed seafood more than once a week than in the group who rarely consumed seafood. However, the OR after adjusting for the variables was not statistically significant. In women, the frequency of seafood consumption and the concentration of urinary BPA were not significantly associated.

BPA concentration was higher in men who frequently consumed large fish and tuna, shellfish and other seafood in this study.

We aimed to find the exposure level of environmental harmful substances related to the secondhand smoke (SHS) using a nationally representative data of the general population in Korea.

Total 3,533 people were included in this study. We compared the proportion exceeding 95 percentile of the concentrations of harmful substances by sex according to SHS exposure. 16 kinds of substances related to tobacco smoke were analyzed including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and environmental phenol. For 16 kinds of substances, the odds ratios (ORs) for exceeding 95 percentile of each harmful substance were calculated by multiple logistic regression according to SHS exposure. Age, education level, marital status, body mass index, drinking, and exercise were adjusted as covariates. Cotinine level was additionally adjusted to increase reliability of our results.

SHS was associated with high exposure of mercury, methylhippuric acid, fluorene, and cotinine. In women, SHS was associated with mercury, methylhippuric acid, fluorene, and cotinine, while in men, it was associated with cotinine. After adjusting covariates, ORs of blood mercury, methylhippuric acid and hydroxyfluorene in the exposed gruop were greater than that in the non-exposed group. Especially in female, methylhippuric acid and hydroxyfluorene showed consistent result.

Our finding demonstrates that SHS is related to several harmful substances. Therefore, to reduce the health effects of SHS, it is necessary to educate and publicize the risk of SHS. Future studies are necessary to more accurately analyze factors such as exposure frequency, time, and pathway of SHS.

We aimed to find the exposure level of triclosan (TCS), a known endocrine disruptor, related to the use of personal care products using a nationally representative data of the general population in Korea.

This study included data of 6288 adults aged 19 years and older (2692 men, 3596 women), based on the Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS 2012–2014). The data were divided according to gender. The frequency and proportion of each variable were determined by dividing participants into two groups based on the top 75th percentile concentration of urinary TCS (male: 1.096 μg/g creatinine, female: 1.329 μg/g creatinine). Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression analysis for the high TCS exposure and low TCS exposure groups.

Overall, the proportion of participants using personal care products was higher in women than in men. There was a significantly higher proportion of participants in the high TCS exposure group with younger age, higher education and income levels and with more frequent use of fragrance products, hair care products, body cleansers, cosmetics, and antimicrobial agents. In both men and women, ORs tended to increase with increased frequency of use of hair care products, body cleansers, and cosmetics before and after adjustment.

Our findings demonstrate that as the frequency of use of personal care products increases, urine TCS concentration increases. Because TCS is a well-known endocrine disruptor, further studies are needed and explore other health effects with exposure to TCS in general population in Korea.

The online version of this article (10.1186/s40557-019-0283-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study aimed to analyze environmental tobacco smoking exposure in female nonsmokers by public transportation mode using representative data of Koreans.

Data from the Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2012–2014) were analyzed. Urine cotinine was analyzed by public transport behavior, secondhand smoke exposure, socioeconomic factors, and health-related factors. Participants were 1322 adult females; those with the top 75% urine cotinine concentrations were assigned to the high exposure group. A logistic regression analysis was performed considering appropriate weights and stratification according to the sample design of the Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey.

The geometric mean of urine cotinine concentrations differed according to public transportation modes: subway (1.66 μg/g creatinine) bus (1.77 μg/g creatinine), and taxi (1.94 μg/g creatinine). The odds ratio [OR] was calculated for the high exposure group. The OR of the taxi (2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–5.69) was statistically significantly higher than the subway value (reference), and marginally significant after adjusted with life style, sociodemographic factors and involuntary smoking frequency (2.42, 95% confidence interval, 0.97–6.04).

The odds ratio of passengers who mainly used taxis was marginally significantly higher than those of passengers who used subways and buses after adjusted with life style and sociodemographic factors. Implementation of supplementary measures and further studies on exposure to environmental tobacco smoking in taxis are warranted.

This study was aimed at finding out the exposure level of bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine disruptor, in relation to dietary factors using a data representing the Korean general population.

This study was performed on 5402 adults aged 19 years and older based on the Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS 2012–2014). The data analyzed urinary BPA concentration in relation to socio-demographic variables, health behavior-related variables, and dietary factor-related variables. Odds ratio (OR) was calculated through a logistic regression analysis after dividing the participants into high BPA exposure group and low BPA exposure group based on the top 75 percentile concentration. The logistic regression analysis was carried out considering the appropriate sample weight, stratification, and clustering of the second KoNEHS sample design.

The group drinking bottled water at home and the group using zip-top bags/plastic bags showed significantly higher urinary BPA concentration in female. OR tends to increase as the intake frequency of frozen food increased and OR of frozen food consumption of more than once a week was 1.48 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–2.24) for male and the group drinking bottled water showed significantly higher OR of 1.45 (95% CI 1.06–2.17) after adjusting the related factors for female.

BPA levels were high in female using bottled water and in male consuming frozen food, and therefore bottled water and frozen food need to be avoided to reduce BPA levels.