Maternal pregnancy serum level of heptachlor epoxide, hexachlorobenzene, and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and risk of cryptorchidism in offspring.
Prenatal exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters has been postulated to cause adverse effects on male reproductive health. Exposure to organochlorine pesticides with anti-androgenic and estrogenic potency has been shown to interfere with the sex-hormone-dependent process of testicular descent in animal models. We examined the relation between serum levels of the pesticides heptachlor epoxide (HCE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCCH) in pregnant women, and the occurrence of cryptorchidism in their sons. These three pesticides were previously suggested as risk factors for cryptorchidism. In a nested case-control design, we compared serum levels between mothers of cases (n = 219) and controls (n = 564), selected from the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a US birth cohort study of pregnancies in 1959-1966. The offspring of mothers with HCE levels above the 90th percentile compared to those below the 10th percentile had an adjusted odds ratio of cryptorchidism of 1.2 (95% confidence interval 0.6-2.6); for beta-HCCH the odds ratio was 1.6 (0.7-3.6). For HCB the adjusted odds ratio was near one. These results provide little support for an association of cryptorchidism with exposure to low levels of HCE or HCB. For beta-HCCH the findings were somewhat suggestive of an association but were inconclusive.
Pierik
Frank H
FH
Department of Reproduction and Perinatology, TNO Quality of Life, Leiden, The Netherlands. frank.pierik@tno.nl
Klebanoff
Mark A
MA
Brock
John W
JW
Longnecker
Matthew P
MP
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial / Q000097:blood; D006534:Heptachlor Epoxide / Q000097:blood; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000097:blood; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007306:Insecticides / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012307:Risk Factors
D005659:Fungicides, Industrial; D007306:Insecticides; D006534:Heptachlor Epoxide; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane; C023888:beta-hexachlorocyclohexane