Urinary phthalate metabolites and anemia: Findings from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2015-2017).

Background: Several animal studies have suggested an association between phthalate exposure and decreased hemoglobin levels. To address the lack of epidemiological evidence, we evaluated the association between urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and hematologic indices by using nationally representative data from Korea.

Methods: Data from 3722 adults included in the third stage (2015-2017) of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KONEHS) were used.