Association between Organochlorine Exposures and Lung Functions Modified by Thyroid Hormones and Mediated by Inflammatory Factors among Healthy Older Adults.

Xiao Jie GUO; Hui Min REN; Ji Ran ZHANG; Xiao MA; Shi Lu TONG; Song TANG; Chen MAO; Xiao Ming SHI

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Association between Organochlorine Exposures and Lung Functions Modified by Thyroid Hormones and Mediated by Inflammatory Factors among Healthy Older Adults.

Author: Xiao Jie GUO ¹ ; Hui Min REN ² ; Ji Ran ZHANG ² ; Xiao MA ³ ; Shi Lu TONG ⁴ ; Song TANG ⁵ ; Chen MAO ⁶ ; Xiao Ming SHI ⁷
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1. School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China;China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China.
2. China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China.
3. China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, China.
4. China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4001, Australia.
5. China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, China.
6. School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China.
7. School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China;China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100021, China;Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, Jiangsu, China;National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Healthy older adults; Inflammatory factors; Lung function; Organochlorines; Thyroid hormones
MeSH: Environmental Exposure; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/metabolism*; China; Ethyl Ethers/metabolism*; Environmental Monitoring; Thyroid Hormones/blood*; Lung/physiology*; Inhalation Exposure/statistics & numerical data*; Air Pollution/statistics & numerical data*; Air Pollutants/metabolism*; Humans; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Aged
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(2):144-153
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To examine the mechanistic of organochlorine-associated changes in lung function.
METHODS:This study investigated 76 healthy older adults in Jinan, Shandong Province, over a five-month period. Personal exposure to organochlorines was quantified using wearable passive samplers, while inflammatory factors and thyroid hormones were analyzed from blood samples. Participants' lung function was evaluated. After stratifying participants according to their thyroid hormone levels, we analyzed the differential effects of organochlorine exposure on lung function and inflammatory factors across the low and high thyroid hormone groups. Mediation analysis was further conducted to elucidate the relationships among organochlorine exposures, inflammatory factors, and lung function.
RESULTS:Bis (2-chloro-1-methylethyl) ether (BCIE), was negatively associated with forced vital capacity (FVC, -2.05%, 95% CI: -3.11% to -0.97%), and associated with changes in inflammatory factors such as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-7, IL-8, and IL-13 in the low thyroid hormone group. The mediation analysis indicated a mediating effect of IL-2 (15.63%, 95% CI: 0.91% to 44.64%) and IL-13 (13.94%, 95% CI: 0.52% to 41.07%) in the association between BCIE exposure and FVC.
CONCLUSION:Lung function and inflammatory factors exhibited an increased sensitivity to organochlorine exposure at lower thyroid hormone levels, with inflammatory factors potentially mediating the adverse effects of organochlorines on lung function.