| Flame Retardants in Placenta and Breast Milk and Cryptorchidism
in Newborn Boys Katharina Maria Main,1 Hannu Kiviranta,2
Helena Eeva Virtanen,3 Erno Sundqvist,3 Jouni
Tapio Tuomisto,2 Jouko Tuomisto,2 Terttu Vartiainen,2,4 Niels Erik
Skakkebæk,1 and Jorma Toppari1,3 1University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet,
Copenhagen, Denmark; 2National Public Health Institute, Department
of Environmental Health, Kuopio, Finland; 3Departments of
Physiology and Paediatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; 4University
of Kuopio, Department of Environmental Sciences, Kuopio, Finland Abstract
Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used in Western countries. Objectives: Because the prevalence of cryptorchidism appears to be increasing, we investigated whether exposure to PBDEs was associated with testicular maldescent. Methods: In a prospective Danish–Finnish study, 1997–2001, all boys were examined for cryptorchidism. We analyzed whole placentas (for 95 cryptorchid/185 healthy boys) and individual breast milk samples (62/68) for 14 PBDEs and infant serum samples for gonadotropins, sex-hormone binding globulin, testosterone, and inhibin B. Results: In 86 placenta–milk pairs, placenta PBDE concentrations in fat were lower than in breast milk, and a larger number of congeners were nondetectable. There was no significant difference between boys with and without cryptorchidism for individual congeners, the sum of 5 most prevalent, or all 14 congeners. The concentration of PBDEs in breast milk was significantly higher in boys with cryptorchidism than in controls (sum of BDEs 47, 153, 99, 100, 28, 66, and 154: median, 4.16 vs. 3.16 ng/g fat ; p < 0.007) . There was a positive correlation between the sum of PBDEs and serum luteinizing hormone (p < 0.033) . The sum of PBDEs in breast milk did not differ between Denmark and Finland (median, 3.52 vs. 3.44 ng/g fat) , but significant differences in some individual congeners were found. Conclusions: Two different proxies were used for prenatal PBDE exposure, and levels in breast milk, but not in placenta, showed an association with congenital cryptorchidism. Other environmental factors may contribute to cryptorchidism. Our observations are of concern because human exposure to PBDEs is high in some geographic areas. Key words: breast milk, cryptorchidism, exposure, human, infant, polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Environ Health Perspect 115:1519–1526 (2007) . doi:10.1289/ehp.9924 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 31 May 2007]
Address correspondence to K.M. Main, University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Section 5064, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Telephone: (+45) 3545-5085. Fax: (+45) 3545-6054. E-mail: katharina.main.rh.regionh.dk Children were examined by members of The Nordic Cryptorchidism Study Group: in Denmark, K.A. Boisen, M. Chellakooty, I.N. Damgaard, and I.M. Schmidt ; in Finland, M.M. Kaleva and A.-M. Suomi. This study was supported by the European Commission (QLK4-CT-1999-01422, QLK4-CT-2001-00269, QLK4-2002-0063) ; The Danish Medical Research Council (9700833, 9700909) ; the Svend Andersen's, Velux, and Novo Nordisk Foundations ; The Turku University Central Hospital ; Sigrid Jusélius Foundation ; and the Academy of Finland. The sponsors had no part in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the manuscript. The article does not represent the opinion of the European Commission, which is not responsible for any use that might be made of data appearing therein. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 24 November 2006 ; accepted 30 May 2007.
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