title: In utero exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds and anogenital distance in newborns and infants.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vafeiadi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agramunt
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papadopoulou
authors.forename: Harrie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Besselink
authors.forename: Kleopatra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mathianaki
authors.forename: Polyxeni
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Karakosta
authors.forename: Ariana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spanaki
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koutis
authors.forename: Leda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chatzi
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrijheid
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogevinas
mesh_terms: D004147:Dioxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005835:Genitalia / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants