Acrolein (Acr) is a common volatile toxic substance excreted by the kidneys. There are no studies that specifically look at the effects of Acr on kidney function. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between Acr and kidney damage. A cross-sectional study of data (n = 4951) from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted. Participants' urinary Acr concentration, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) were recorded based on laboratory tests. The number of participants with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was counted. Urinary Acr concentration was divided into quartiles. The association of urinary Acr with CKD and eGFR was investigated using multivariate linear regression, multivariate logistic regression, and smooth curve fitting. Subgroup analyses, interaction tests and sensitivity analyses were used to examine the independence of the Acr-CKD and Acr-eGFR associations in the population. In 4951 participants, urinary Acr concentration was positively associated with CKD risk and negatively associated with eGFR. In the fully adjusted model, each log