Exposure to Emerging Contaminants Chlorinated Paraffins in PM2.5 and Sleep Disorders in Youth: Body Weight as a Mediator

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are emerging contaminants with potential risks to the environment and human health, but their link between fine particulate matter-bound chlorinated paraffins (PM2.5-bound CPs) and the risk of sleep disorders has not been reported. This large-scale, population-based study included 122,965 valid questionnaires from school-aged children in the Pearl River Delta region of China. Generalized linear mixed models, restricted cubic splines, weighted quantile sum regression and Quantile g-computation models were used to evaluate the individual and combined effects of PM2.5-bound CPs on sleep disorders. Mediation analysis assessed the potential role of body weight. Our findings showed that an interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5-bound ∑CPs was linked to a higher risk of sleep disorders, and odds ratio ranging from 1.08 to 3.20. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were identified as key contributors of CPs and might interfere with important metabolic pathways. Further analysis indicated that body weight statistically accounted for part of the observed association between exposure to CPs and sleep disorders, with the proportion mediated ranging from 3.40% to 35.67%. Stratified analyses suggested stronger associations among girls and children under 12 years. These findings support prioritizing CPs management strategies to reduce their negative impact among children and adolescents.