title: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane exposure and anogenital distance in the Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE) birth cohort study, South Africa.
abstract: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is used for malaria control by 10 countries, nine of which are in Africa. Technical DDT contains various isomers with 65-80% insecticidal p,p'-DDT and 15-21% o,p'-DDT, an estrogenic chemical, while the persistent metabolite of p,p'-DDT, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), is an antiandrogen. In utero antiandrogenic exposure reduces anogenital distance in animal models and the anal position index in a single study. This study examined the associations between mother's serum DDT and DDE levels at delivery and anogenital distance in their children at birth and age 1 year. Data were collected as part of the Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE), a birth cohort study located in rural South Africa. DDT and DDE concentrations were measured in blood samples collected from 752 mothers at delivery. Anogenital distance measurements, taken at birth (n = 671) and age 1 year (n = 674), included anofourchette and anoclitoral distances in girls, and anoscrotal and anopenile lengths in boys. We also measured anococcygeal and coccyx-fourchette distances in girls, while in boys, we measured anococcygeal and coccyx-scrotal distances as well as penile length and penile width. The anal position index is calculated for both sexes as anoscrotal/coccyx-scrotal in boys and anofourchette/coccyx-fourchette in girls. We found no associations between p,p'-DDT/-DDE or o,p'-DDT and anogenital distance measurements at birth in either boys or girls. At 1 year, o,p'-DDE was negatively associated with anofourchette in girls (β =-1.32 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -2.27, -0.38) and positively associated with penile width in boys (β = 0.30 mm, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.60). The results do not suggest an overt antiandrogenic or estrogenic effect on anogenital distance after long-term DDT exposure. These weak associations may be due to chance.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bornman
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chevrier
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.affiliation: School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crause
authors.affiliation: School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obida
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sathyanarayana
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (CERCH), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eskenazi
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D003634:DDT / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000097:blood; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000187:drug effects; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010571:Pest Control; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D013019:South Africa; D014564:Urogenital Abnormalities / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D003634:DDT
keywords: Anogenital distance; boys; dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene; dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; girls