Racial/ethnic disparities in disease burden and costs related to exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the United States: an exploratory analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveStudies have documented disparities in exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC), but no studies have investigated potential implications for racial/ethnic disparities in chronic disease and associated costs. Our objective was to examine EDC levels in the US population according to race/ethnicity and to quantify disease burden and associated costs. Study Design and SettingEDC exposure levels in 2007–2010 were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The associated disease burden and costs for 12 exposure–response relationships were determined for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Mexican Americans, Other Hispanics, and Other/Multicultural. ResultsEDC exposure levels and associated burden of disease and costs were higher in non-Hispanic Blacks ($56.8 billion; 16.5% of total costs) and Mexican Americans ($50.1 billion; 14.6%) compared with their proportion of the total population (12.6% and 13.5%, respectively). Associated costs among non-Hispanic whites comprised 52.3% of total costs ($179.8 billion) although they comprise 66.1% of the US population. These disparities are driven by generally higher exposure to persistent pesticides and flame retardants among non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans. ConclusionOur estimates suggest that racial/ethnic disparities in chronic diseases in the US may be because of chemical exposures and are an important tool to inform policies that address such disparities.