Urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations and hepatitis B antibody serology in the United States (NHANES, 2003–2014)

• Published in: Environmental research 2021-04, Vol.195, p.110801-110801, Article 110801
• Main Authors: Andrews, Faye V., Smit, Ellen, Welch, Barrett M., Ahmed, Sharia M., Kile, Molly L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Cotinine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epidemiology; Hepatitis B - epidemiology; Hepatitis B surface Antibody; Hepatitis B surface Antigen; Humans; Immunosuppression; Immunotoxicity; Infectious disease; Nutrition Surveys; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; United States - epidemiology; Vaccine
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110801

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental contaminants that are hepatotoxic and immunotoxic. PAH exposure may modulate hepatitis B immunology. We used data from 6 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003–2014) to evaluate the associations between urinary PAH metabolites and hepatitis B serology. This analysis included individuals who self-reported receiving ≥3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine and urinary PAH metabolites (i.e. 1-napthol, 2-napthol, 3-fluorene, 2-fluorene, 1-phenanthrene, 1-pyrene, and total PAH [sum of all metabolites]). Separate logistic regression models assessed the association between hepatitis B vaccination status (i.e. individuals who were immune due to vaccination or susceptible) and tertiles of urinary PAH. Models were adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, survey cycle, family income to poverty ratio, BMI, country of birth, serum cotinine, and urinary creatinine. Among participants who reported receiving ≥3 doses of vaccine and had no antibodies indicating a history of hepatitis B infection and/or current hepatitis B infection, dose-response relationships were observed where individuals with the lowest odds of serology indicating a response to the hepatitis B vaccine (i.e., anti-HBs+, anti-HBc-, and HBsAg−) were in the highest tertile of 2-Napthol (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54, 0.91), 3-Napthol (aOR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.87), 2-Fluorene (aOR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.86), 1-Phenanthrene (aOR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.97), 1-Pyrene (aOR): 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.83), and total PAH (aOR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.95) had the compared to the lowest tertile. This cross-sectional study supports a hypothesis that PAH exposures experienced by the general US population may modulate hepatitis B vaccine induced immunity. Given the ubiquity of PAH exposures in the US, additional research is warranted to explore the effects of chronic PAH exposures on hepatitis B related humoral immunity. •Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are immunotoxic and hepatotoxic.•PAH exposure was associated with hepatitis B vaccine serology.•Higher PAH exposure was related to lower odds of serology indicating vaccination.•Age modified the effect of PAHs on hepatitis B vaccination serology.