Abstract P244: Urinary Triclosan Concentrations Are Associated with Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in US Population, NHANES 2003-2010

Introduction: Triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent, is widely used in personal care and household products such as toothpaste. Its effect on human health, however, has not been well investigated. No study has examined the potential consequences of triclosan exposure on obesity traits. Objective: To examine whether triclosan exposure is associated with obesity traits. Methods: This study included 3,659 children (1,884 boys and 1,775 girls, 6-20 years old) and 6,566 adults (3,251 men and 3,315 women, 20 years and older) with detectable levels of urinary triclosan from the 2003-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) database. Urinary triclosan concentrations were measured by automated solid-phase extraction coupled to isotope dilution-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The association of triclosan levels with body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference was examined using multiple linear regression, adjusted for age, race, education, household income, alcohol intake, and cotinine where appropriate. All data analyses were performed using SAS version 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc, Cary, North Carolina), while taking into account sample weights and design variables. Results: Urinary triclosan concentrations were 4.2 μg/g creatinine (95% confidence interval, CI: 3.3-5.3 μg/g creatinine) in boys, 5.1 μg/g creatinine (95% CI: 3.8-6.9 μg/g creatinine) in girls, 9.2 μg/g creatinine (95% CI: 7.4-11.4 μg/g creatinine) in men, and 11.9 μg/g creatinine (95% CI: 9.6-14.8 μg/g creatinine) in women. From the bottom to the top quartile of urinary triclosan concentrations, there was a decreasing trend of BMI in all groups: 22.02±0.33 (multivariable-adjusted mean ± standard error), 21.55±0.28, 21.31±0.27, and 21.16±0.34 kg/m2, p for trend=0.05 in boys; 22.13±0.37, 21.87±0.34, 21.42±0.35, and 20.64±0.23 kg/m2, p for trend=0.009 in girls, 29.24±0.29, 29.07±0.27, 28.73±0.26, and 28.20±0.34 kg/m2, p for trend=0.03 in men; and 29.37±0.40, 28.47±0.43, 29.06±0.39, and 27.07±0.30 kg/m2; p for trend=0.0007 in women. Similar trends were observed for waist circumferences in the four groups (p for trend=0.003-0.04). Conclusion: Triclosan exposure is inversely associated with BMI and waist circumference, independent of multiple risk factors. The biological mechanisms linking triclosan exposure to obesity await further investigation although it is likely that triclosan is an endocrine disrupting chemical.