Association between pyrethroid exposure and osteoarthritis: a national population-based cross-sectional study in the US

BACKGROUND: With the restriction of organophosphorus and other insecticides, pyrethroids are currently the second most-used group of insecticides worldwide due to their advantages such as effectiveness and low toxicity for mammalian. Animal studies and clinical case reports have documented associations between adverse health outcomesand exposure to pyrethroids. At present, the association between chronic pyrethroid exposure and osteoarthritis (OA) remains elusive. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002 and 2007–2014 were used to explore the associations of pyrethroid exposure and OA. Urinary level of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) in urine samples was used to evaluate the exposure of pyrethroid, and OA was determined on the basis of self-reported physician diagnoses. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between pyrethroid exposure and OA. RESULTS: Among the 6528 participants, 650 had OA. The weighted geometric mean of urinary volume-based 3-PBA concentration were 0.45 µg/L. With adjustments for major confounders, compared to participants in the lowest quartile of urinary volume-based 3-PBA, those in the highest quartilehad higher odds of OA (odds ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.92). There was no nonlinear relationship between urinary volume-based 3-PBA and OA (P for non-linearity = 0.89). CONCLUSION: High urinary 3-PBA concentration was associated with increased OA odds in the US adults. Pyrethroid exposure in the population should be monitored regularly. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-16225-2.