RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prenatal exposure to glycol ethers and cryptorchidism and hypospadias: a nested case–control study
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 59
OP 65
DO 10.1136/oemed-2017-104391
VO 75
IS 1
A1 Charline Warembourg
A1 Jérémie Botton
A1 Nathalie Lelong
A1 Florence Rouget
A1 Babak Khoshnood
A1 Florent Le Gléau
A1 Christine Monfort
A1 Laurence Labat
A1 Fabrice Pierre
A1 Barbara Heude
A1 Rémy Slama
A1 Luc Multigner
A1 Marie-Aline Charles
A1 Sylvaine Cordier
A1 Ronan Garlantézec
YR 2018
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/75/1/59.abstract
AB Objectives Glycol ethers (GE) are oxygenated solvents frequently found in occupational and consumer products. Some of them are well-known testicular and developmental animal toxicants. This study aims to evaluate the risk of male genital anomalies in association with prenatal exposure to GE using urinary biomarkers of exposure.Methods We conducted a case–control study nested in two joint mother–child cohorts (5303 pregnant women). Cases of cryptorchidism and hypospadias were identified at birth and confirmed during a 2-year follow-up period (n=14 cryptorchidism and n=15 hypospadias). Each case was matched to three randomly selected controls within the cohorts for region of inclusion and gestational age at urine sampling. Concentrations of five GE acidic metabolites were measured in spot maternal urine samples collected during pregnancy. ORs were estimated with multivariate conditional logistic regressions including a Firth’s penalisation.Results Detection rates of urinary GE metabolites ranged from 8% to 93% and only two were sufficiently detected (>33%) in each cohort to be studied: methoxyacetic acid (MAA) and phenoxyacetic acid (PhAA). A significantly higher risk of hypospadias was associated with the highest tertile of exposure to MAA: OR (95% CI) 4.5(1.4 to 23.4). No association were observed with urinary concentration of PhAA, nor with the risk of cryptorchidism.Conclusions In view of the toxicological plausibility of our results, this study, despite its small sample size, raises concern about the potential developmental toxicity of MAA on the male genital system and calls for thorough identification of current sources of exposure to MAA.