Association between brominated flame retardants (PBDEs and PBB153) exposure and hypertension in U.S. adults: results from NHANES 2005–2016

Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) have attracted widespread concern due to their environmental persistence and potential toxicity. This study aims to examine the association between BFRs exposure and hypertension.

We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2005 to 2016 for the cross-sectional analysis. To evaluate the individual and combined impacts of BFRs exposure on hypertension, we utilized multivariate models, including generalized additive models, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models.

9882 individuals (48% male) aged ≥ 20 were included in the final analysis, of whom 4114 had hypertension. After controlling for potential covariates, higher serum concentrations of PBDE100 (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.57) and PBDE153 (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.88) were significantly associated with hypertension. A nonlinear relationship between PBDE28 and hypertension was observed (P = 0.03). Moreover, BFRs mixture were positively associated with the prevalence of hypertension in both the WQS (β:1.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.17; P = 0.02) and BKMR models.

Our study suggested that BFRs exposure is positively associated with hypertension in the general population. To confirm this association and elucidate the mechanisms, further research is required.