ArticleJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology2025
Timing of puberty in girls and serum polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-albumin adduct levels: the California PAH Study.
Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Ambient Air Pollution, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, and Pubertal Development: A Critical Review of Emerging Evidence.Current environmental health reports · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundExposure to environmental chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) may play a role in recent trends of earlier puberty.
objectiveWe evaluated associations between PAH-albumin adducts and timing of puberty in a longitudinal cohort of girls aged 6-16 years from the San Francisco Bay Area.
methodsWe measured PAH-albumin adducts in 215 baseline serum samples and 159 last samples collected between 5 and 69 months apart. Using generalized estimating equations (GEE) to account for intra-familial correlations, we fit linear models to estimate mean adduct levels by participant characteristics and questionnaire-based sources of outdoor, indoor, and dietary PAH exposures. We fit logistic GEE models to examine associations of adduct levels with recalled breast (N = 154) or pubic hair (N = 153) Tanner Stage (TS) and menarche status (N = 116) at first blood collection. Using Cox proportional hazard models, we assessed associations with pubertal timing of girls who at first blood collection had not yet started breast (N = 76) or pubic hair (N = 86) development or menstruation (N = 132).
resultsPAH-albumin adducts were detected in all samples, except two. We observed some variation in adduct levels by personal characteristics and questionnaire-based sources of PAH exposure, although differences did not reach statistical significance. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, timing of breast development was the only pubertal outcome associated with higher ( ≥ median vs. <median) PAH adduct levels. In cross-sectional analyses, girls with higher PAH adducts had an elevated odds of having started breast development (TS2+ vs. TS1: OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 0.83-4.78) at first blood collection. In prospective analyses, higher PAH adduct levels ( ≥ median vs. <median) were associated with earlier breast development (HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.03-2.26; per 50 fmol/mg increase: HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01-1.12). IMPACT: Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is widespread, both in children and adults. This study is the first to examine associations between PAH-albumin adducts measured in serum samples and pubertal timing in a cohort of girls aged 6-16 years from California. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, higher PAH adduct levels were associated with earlier breast development, but not with earlier pubic hair development or menarche. The findings suggest that PAH exposure may accelerate breast development in girls.
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