Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and anogenital distance at 3 months of age in a Danish mother-child cohort

Abstract

In the Odense child cohort, serum concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were measured in 638 pregnant women. Birth weight, head and abdominal circumferences and gestational age were determined. Anogenital distance (AGD), the distance from the anus to the genital organs, and penile width were measured 3 months after expected date of birth in 511 children. PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA and PFDA were associated with a decreased AGD in girls (p-trend < 0.05) after adjusting for age and weight-for-age standard deviation score. PFOS in the highest quartile was associated with a 2.8 mm (95% confidence intervals -4.5; -1.1) reduction in AGD in girls. No such tendencies were seen in boys. However, a tendency toward increased birth weight in girls and reduced birth weight in boys suggests that sex-dimorphic effects may occur from endocrine disrupting effects of these substances.

Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and birth outcomes in a Spanish birth cohort

“…Third, because PFAS concentrations differ by region of residence in our cohort (Manzano-Salgado et al, 2016) we stratified our main analysis by region of residence. Fourth, because PFAS may exhibit sex-specific effects at birth (Andersen et al, 2010;Lind et al, 2017) we evaluated whether sex modified the association between PFAS and birth outcomes by including interaction terms and stratifying our analysis. Fifth, we repeated our analysis using quartiles of PFAS exposure expressed in ng/mL to consider potential non-linear associations between PFAS and birth outcomes.…”

Application of the Key Characteristics of Carcinogens to Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

“…A study of 18-22-year-old men in the PFAS-contaminated Veneto region of Italy, observed reduced testicular volume in males and increased circulating levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone, and shorter AGD compared to controls [158]. In two mother-child cohorts from Denmark and Shanghai, shorter AGD was associated with exposure to PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA and PFDA in females at 3 months of age [159] and PFOS, PFDA, and PFUnA in males at birth; at six months of age, this association was observed only for PFOS [160].…”

“…Animal Biosassay In Vitro PFOA Association: [153]; [154]; [155]; [156]; [157] Association: reviewed in [164]; [91]; [165]; [166]; [169]; [170]; [173]; [175]; [191]; [61] No association: [174] Association: [176]; [158]; [175]; [181]; [188]; [189]; [193]; [179]; [180] No association: [182] Long-chain PFAS a PFOS Association: [154]; [155]; [156]; [157]; [160]; reviwed in [163] No Association: [153] Association: [191]; [192] Association: [177]; [175]; [181]; [188]; [189]; [193]; [179]; [180] No association: [182] PFHxS Association: [159]; reviwed in [163] No association: [...…”

Disruption in Thyroid Signaling Pathway: A Mechanism for the Effect of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Child Neurodevelopment

“…Quaak et al reported a sex-specific effect ( 84 ). Thyroid disruption together with influences on other parts of the endocrine system might explain these sex-specific effects ( 85 , 86 ).…”