AUTHOR=Zhu Wenting , Xie Chong , Zhao Shasha , Zhang Dan , Zhang Hao 

TITLE=Environmental Exposure to Triclosan and Male Fecundity: A Prospective Study in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.814927

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.814927

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Triclosan (2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxy-diphenyl ether) is widely used in personal care and household products. It is ubiquitous across the ecosystem nowadays which emerges concerns about the potential toxicity of triclosan. A number of in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested the possible adverse effects of triclosan on male reproductive health. But a little such research has been performed on humans, especially in eastern countries. To assess the effects of triclosan exposure on male fecundity, we recruited couples who planned to conceive and came to the preconception care clinics for physical examination in Shanghai, China. Triclosan was quantified in male urine samples collected at enrollment. 443 couples were included into the cohort, and 74.7% couples (n=331) were prospectively followed 12 months later. The outcomes of interest included pregnancy status of their wives and time to pregnancy. Elevated male urinary triclosan concentrations were found associated with diminished fecundability (fecundability odds ratio (FOR) 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62-0.97). Risk of infertility was also found significantly increased (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.6) as triclosan levels elevated. Besides, we divided triclosan concentration into tertiles in priori and there tended to be a dose-response pattern in both analyses. Our findings suggest that environmental exposure of triclosan may have adverse impact on male fecundity.