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Prenatal polybrominated diphenyl ethers exposure and anogenital distance in boys from a Shanghai birth cohort.

M. Luan,Hong Liang,Fen Yang,W. Yuan,Aimin Chen,Xiao Liu,Honglei Ji,S. Wen,M. Miao

Published 2019 in International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are major brominated flame retardant (BFR) chemicals with endocrine-disrupting properties. One small-scale study on humans has suggested that prenatal exposure to PBDEs is adversely related to anogenital distance (AGD) a sensitive marker for prenatal androgen exposure. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between prenatal exposure to PBDEs and AGD among boys 0-4 years of age in a cohort study. METHODS In the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort Study (S-MBCS), nine PBDE congeners were measured in cord plasma of 192 male infants. We measured anopenile distance (AGDAP) and anoscrotal distance (AGDAS) at birth, 6 months, 12 months, and 48 months of age. A total of 190 boys with neonatal concentrations of PBDEs (ng/g lipid) who had at-least one AGD measurement were included in our study. Information on potential confounding variables were collected through in-person interviews. Multiple linear regression models and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to evaluate the associations between prenatal PBDEs concentrations and AGD. RESULTS Among the nine congeners, BDE-47 had the highest detection rate (83.68%) and the highest median concentration (0.18 ng/g lipid). Boys who had neonatal concentration of BDE-47 or Σ4PBDEs (sum of BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, and BDE-153) in the higher quartile generally had shorter AGDAP and AGDAS than those in the first quartile. Significant inverse associations were found between AGDAS and fourth quartile BDE-47 levels among boys 12 months and 48 months of age (β = -5.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): -9.89, -1.25 for 12 month of age; β = -4.32, 95% CI: -8.18, -0.46 for 48 month of age). Inverse associations were also observed between AGDAS and fourth quartile Σ4PBDEs levels among boys 12 months of age (β = -5.13, 95% CI: -9.89, -1.25). In GEE models, similar patterns of association were also observed between BDE-47 and AGDAS. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide preliminary evidence that prenatal exposure to BDE-47 and Σ4PBDEs, even at low environmental levels, may be associated with shorter AGD in boys. This data suggest that prenatal exposure to PBDEs may have adverse effects on male reproductive development. Further studies should be conducted to validate these results.

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