Title:
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In utero exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds and anogenital distance in newborns and infants
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Author:
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Vafeiadi, Marina, 1983-; Agramunt, Silvia; Papadopoulou, Eleni, 1985-; Besselink, Harrie; Mathianaki, Kleopatra; Karakosta, Polyxeni; Spanaki, Ariana; Koutis, Antonis; Chatzi, Leda; Vrijheid, Martine; Kogevinas, Manolis
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Abstract:
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BACKGROUND: Anogenital distance in animals is used as a measure of fetal androgen action. Prenatal exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in rodents causes reproductive changes in male offspring and decreases anogenital distance. OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether in utero exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds adversely influences anogenital distance in newborns and young children (median age, 16 months; range, 1-31 months) METHODS: We measured anogenital distance among participants of the "Rhea" mother-child cohort study in Crete and the Hospital del Mar (HMAR) cohort in Barcelona. Anogenital distance (AGD; anus to upper penis), anoscrotal distance (ASD; anus to scrotum), and penis width (PW) were measured in 119 newborn and 239 young boys; anoclitoral (ACD; anus to clitoris) and anofourchetal distance (AFD; anus to fourchette) were measured in 118 newborn and 223 young girls. We estimated plasma dioxin-like activity in maternal blood samples collected at delivery with the Dioxin-Responsive Chemically Activated LUciferase eXpression (DR CALUX®) bioassay. RESULTS: Anogenital distances were sexually dimorphic, being longer in males than females. Plasma dioxin-like activity was negatively associated with AGD in male newborns. The estimated change in AGD per 10 pg CALUX®-toxic equivalent/g lipid increase was -0.44 mm (95% CI: -0.80, -0.08) after adjusting for confounders. Negative but smaller and nonsignificant associations were observed for AGD in young boys. No associations were found in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Male infants may be susceptible to endocrine-disrupting effects of dioxins. Our findings are consistent with the experimental animal evidence used by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization to set recommendations for human dioxin intake. |
Abstract:
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This study was partly funded by FP6 and FP7 European Union grants (contract number FOOD-CT-2005-016320 and 241604 respectively) |
Subject(s):
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-Dioxines -- Toxicologia -Contaminació -Aparell genital masculí |
Rights:
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Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives
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Document type:
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Article Article - Published version |
Published by:
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
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