title: Association of placenta organotin concentrations with growth and ponderal index in 110 newborn boys from Finland during the first 18 months of life: a cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Humans are exposed to tributyltin (TBT), previously used as an antifouling paint in ships, mainly through fish consumption. As TBT is a known obesogen, we studied the association of placenta TBT and other organotin compounds (OTCs) with ponderal index (PI) and growth during the first 18 months of life in boys.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective Finnish study, 110 placenta samples were collected from mothers of boys born in 1997-1999 with (n = 55) and without (n = 55) cryptorchidism. To account for the original study design, linear regression, weighted for sampling fractions of boys with (121/55) and without (5677/55) cryptorchidism from the total cohort, was used to study the association between placenta OTCs and children's weight, length, growth rates and PI up to 18 months of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Placenta TBT concentrations were above the limit of quantification (LOQ) in 99% of the samples. However, monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) concentrations were below LOQ in 90%, 35% and 57% of samples, respectively. Placenta TBT was positively associated (p = 0.024) with weight gain during the first three months of life, but no other significant associations were observed for weight or length gain. Also, no significant associations between placenta OTC concentrations and child length, weight or PI at any time point were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed a trend towards higher weight gain from birth to 3 months of age with increasing placenta TBT concentration. These results should be interpreted with caution because obesogenic effects in animal experiments were seen after in-utero TBT exposures to doses that were orders of magnitude higher. Also the number of study subjects included in this study was limited.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Environmental Health, Toxicology and Chemical Exposure Unit, Neulaniementie 4, FI-70210 Kuopio, Finland. panu.rantakokko@thl.fi.
authors.forename: Panu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rantakokko
authors.forename: Katharina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Main
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wohlfart-Veje
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiviranta
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Airaksinen
authors.forename: Terttu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vartiainen
authors.forename: Niels E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Skakkebæk
authors.forename: Jorma
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Toppari
authors.forename: Helena E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Virtanen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000453:epidemiology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009947:Organotin Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009947:Organotin Compounds