PAHs and Heavy Metals Are Disrupting Kids' Sex Hormones
NonToxCo Research
Science & Safety Team · 4/7/2026
Children exposed to PAHs and heavy metals together are showing measurable disruption to their sex hormones. Before puberty even starts.
Chemical Mixtures Hit Children's Hormones
A 2026 study in Horm Res Paediatr used NHANES data from children aged 6-19 to test how combined PAH and heavy metal exposure affects sex hormones.
In prepubertal boys, co-exposure reduced SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin) by 16.2%, driven mainly by cadmium. In pubertal boys, estradiol dropped 16%, driven by mercury.
Girls Affected Too
Pubertal females showed changes in their Free Androgen Index (FAI), with the PAH compound 1-hydroxypyrene and cadmium as the main contributors. The mixture of chemicals is affecting both sexes, but through different hormonal pathways.
Where Kids Get PAHs and Metals
PAHs come from grilled food, car exhaust, cigarette smoke, and burning wood. Heavy metals come from contaminated water, food, and soil. Children absorb more of both per pound of body weight than adults do.
What Parents Can Do
Reduce grilled/charred food. Don't smoke near children. Filter your water. Test your soil if kids play outside. And choose non-toxic baby products to protect developing hormonal systems.
Also see glass food storage for safer alternatives.