Associations between Ethylene Oxide Exposure and Liver Function in the US Adult Population

Abstract

Background: Ethylene oxide, a reactive epoxy compound, has been widely used in various industries for many years. However, evidence of the combined toxic effects of ethylene oxide exposure on the liver is still lacking. Methods: We analyzed the merged data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2013 to 2016. Ultimately, 4141 adults aged 18 and over were selected as the sample. We used linear regression to explore the association between blood ethylene oxide and LFT indicators. Results: The weighted linear regression model showed that HbEO is positively correlated with ALP (β = 2.61, 95% CI 1.97, 3.24, p < 0.0001), GGT (β = 5.75, 95% CI 4.46, 7/05, p < 0.0001), ALT (β = 0.50, 95% CI 0.09, 0.90, p = 0.0158), and AST (β = 0.71, 95% CI 0.44, 0.98, p < 0.0001) and negatively correlated with TBIL (β = −0.30, 95% CI −0.43, −0.16, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Ethylene oxide exposure is significantly associated with changes in liver function indicators among adults in the United States. Future work should further examine these relationships.