Prenatal Triclosan Exposure and Anthropometric Measures Including Anogenital Distance in Danish Infants

Tina Harmer Lassen; Hanne Frederiksen; Henriette Boye Kyhl; Shanna H Swan; Katharina M Main; Anna Maria Andersson; Dorte Vesterholm Lind; Steffen Husby; Christine Wohlfahrt-Veje; Niels E Skakkebæk; Tina Kold Jensen

doi:10.1289/ehp.1409637

Prenatal Triclosan Exposure and Anthropometric Measures Including Anogenital Distance in Danish Infants

Tina Harmer Lassen, Hanne Frederiksen, Henriette Boye Kyhl, Shanna H Swan, Katharina M Main, Anna Maria Andersson, Dorte Vesterholm Lind, Steffen Husby, Christine Wohlfahrt-Veje, Niels E Skakkebæk, Tina Kold Jensen

Department of Clinical Medicine

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Triclosan (TCS) is widely used as an antibacterial agent in consumer products such as hand soap and toothpaste, and human exposure is widespread. TCS is suspected of having endocrine-disrupting properties, but few human studies have examined the developmental effects of prenatal TCS exposure. Objectives: We prospectively examined associations between prenatal TCS exposure and anthropometric measures at birth and anogenital distance (AGD) at 3 months of age. Methods: Pregnant women from the Odense Child Cohort (n = 514) provided urine samples at approximately gestational week 28 (median 28.7 weeks, range 26.4-34.0), and urinary TCS concentration was measured by isotope dilution TurboFlow-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between prenatal TCS exposure and measures of size at birth (birth weight, length, head and abdominal circumference) and AGD at 3 months of age (median 3.3 months, range 2.3-6.7 months), controlling for potential confounders. Results: Newborn boys in the highest quartile of prenatal TCS exposure had a 0.7-cm [95% confidence interval (CI):-1.2,-0.1, p = 0.01] smaller head circumference than boys in the lowest quartile. Additionally in boys, inverse associations of borderline statistical significance were observed between prenatal TCS exposure and abdominal circumference at birth and AGD at 3 months of age (p-values < 0.10). Prenatal TCS exposure was not significantly associated with any of the outcomes in girls. However, AGD was measured in fewer girls, and we observed no significant interactions between a child’s sex and prenatal TCS exposure in anthropometric measures at birth. Conclusion: Prenatal TCS exposure was associated with reduced head and abdominal circumference at birth and with reduced AGD at 3 months of age in boys, although the last two findings were statistically nonsignificant. These findings require replication but are compatible with an anti-androgenic effect of prenatal TCS exposure on fetal growth in boys.

Original language	English
Journal	Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume	124
Issue number	8
Pages (from-to)	1261-8
Number of pages	8
ISSN	0091-6765
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409637
Publication status	Published - Aug 2016

Keywords

Journal Article

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1289/ehp.1409637

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title = "Prenatal Triclosan Exposure and Anthropometric Measures Including Anogenital Distance in Danish Infants",

abstract = "Background: Triclosan (TCS) is widely used as an antibacterial agent in consumer products such as hand soap and toothpaste, and human exposure is widespread. TCS is suspected of having endocrine-disrupting properties, but few human studies have examined the developmental effects of prenatal TCS exposure. Objectives: We prospectively examined associations between prenatal TCS exposure and anthropometric measures at birth and anogenital distance (AGD) at 3 months of age. Methods: Pregnant women from the Odense Child Cohort (n = 514) provided urine samples at approximately gestational week 28 (median 28.7 weeks, range 26.4-34.0), and urinary TCS concentration was measured by isotope dilution TurboFlow-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between prenatal TCS exposure and measures of size at birth (birth weight, length, head and abdominal circumference) and AGD at 3 months of age (median 3.3 months, range 2.3-6.7 months), controlling for potential confounders. Results: Newborn boys in the highest quartile of prenatal TCS exposure had a 0.7-cm [95% confidence interval (CI):-1.2,-0.1, p = 0.01] smaller head circumference than boys in the lowest quartile. Additionally in boys, inverse associations of borderline statistical significance were observed between prenatal TCS exposure and abdominal circumference at birth and AGD at 3 months of age (p-values < 0.10). Prenatal TCS exposure was not significantly associated with any of the outcomes in girls. However, AGD was measured in fewer girls, and we observed no significant interactions between a child{\textquoteright}s sex and prenatal TCS exposure in anthropometric measures at birth. Conclusion: Prenatal TCS exposure was associated with reduced head and abdominal circumference at birth and with reduced AGD at 3 months of age in boys, although the last two findings were statistically nonsignificant. These findings require replication but are compatible with an anti-androgenic effect of prenatal TCS exposure on fetal growth in boys.",

keywords = "Journal Article",

author = "Lassen, {Tina Harmer} and Hanne Frederiksen and Kyhl, {Henriette Boye} and Swan, {Shanna H} and Main, {Katharina M} and Andersson, {Anna Maria} and Lind, {Dorte Vesterholm} and Steffen Husby and Christine Wohlfahrt-Veje and Skakkeb{\ae}k, {Niels E} and Jensen, {Tina Kold}",

year = "2016",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1289/ehp.1409637",

language = "English",

volume = "124",

pages = "1261--8",

journal = "Environmental Health Perspectives",

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T1 - Prenatal Triclosan Exposure and Anthropometric Measures Including Anogenital Distance in Danish Infants

AU - Lassen, Tina Harmer

AU - Frederiksen, Hanne

AU - Kyhl, Henriette Boye

AU - Swan, Shanna H

AU - Main, Katharina M

AU - Andersson, Anna Maria

AU - Lind, Dorte Vesterholm

AU - Husby, Steffen

AU - Wohlfahrt-Veje, Christine

AU - Skakkebæk, Niels E

AU - Jensen, Tina Kold

PY - 2016/8

Y1 - 2016/8

N2 - Background: Triclosan (TCS) is widely used as an antibacterial agent in consumer products such as hand soap and toothpaste, and human exposure is widespread. TCS is suspected of having endocrine-disrupting properties, but few human studies have examined the developmental effects of prenatal TCS exposure. Objectives: We prospectively examined associations between prenatal TCS exposure and anthropometric measures at birth and anogenital distance (AGD) at 3 months of age. Methods: Pregnant women from the Odense Child Cohort (n = 514) provided urine samples at approximately gestational week 28 (median 28.7 weeks, range 26.4-34.0), and urinary TCS concentration was measured by isotope dilution TurboFlow-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between prenatal TCS exposure and measures of size at birth (birth weight, length, head and abdominal circumference) and AGD at 3 months of age (median 3.3 months, range 2.3-6.7 months), controlling for potential confounders. Results: Newborn boys in the highest quartile of prenatal TCS exposure had a 0.7-cm [95% confidence interval (CI):-1.2,-0.1, p = 0.01] smaller head circumference than boys in the lowest quartile. Additionally in boys, inverse associations of borderline statistical significance were observed between prenatal TCS exposure and abdominal circumference at birth and AGD at 3 months of age (p-values < 0.10). Prenatal TCS exposure was not significantly associated with any of the outcomes in girls. However, AGD was measured in fewer girls, and we observed no significant interactions between a child’s sex and prenatal TCS exposure in anthropometric measures at birth. Conclusion: Prenatal TCS exposure was associated with reduced head and abdominal circumference at birth and with reduced AGD at 3 months of age in boys, although the last two findings were statistically nonsignificant. These findings require replication but are compatible with an anti-androgenic effect of prenatal TCS exposure on fetal growth in boys.

AB - Background: Triclosan (TCS) is widely used as an antibacterial agent in consumer products such as hand soap and toothpaste, and human exposure is widespread. TCS is suspected of having endocrine-disrupting properties, but few human studies have examined the developmental effects of prenatal TCS exposure. Objectives: We prospectively examined associations between prenatal TCS exposure and anthropometric measures at birth and anogenital distance (AGD) at 3 months of age. Methods: Pregnant women from the Odense Child Cohort (n = 514) provided urine samples at approximately gestational week 28 (median 28.7 weeks, range 26.4-34.0), and urinary TCS concentration was measured by isotope dilution TurboFlow-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between prenatal TCS exposure and measures of size at birth (birth weight, length, head and abdominal circumference) and AGD at 3 months of age (median 3.3 months, range 2.3-6.7 months), controlling for potential confounders. Results: Newborn boys in the highest quartile of prenatal TCS exposure had a 0.7-cm [95% confidence interval (CI):-1.2,-0.1, p = 0.01] smaller head circumference than boys in the lowest quartile. Additionally in boys, inverse associations of borderline statistical significance were observed between prenatal TCS exposure and abdominal circumference at birth and AGD at 3 months of age (p-values < 0.10). Prenatal TCS exposure was not significantly associated with any of the outcomes in girls. However, AGD was measured in fewer girls, and we observed no significant interactions between a child’s sex and prenatal TCS exposure in anthropometric measures at birth. Conclusion: Prenatal TCS exposure was associated with reduced head and abdominal circumference at birth and with reduced AGD at 3 months of age in boys, although the last two findings were statistically nonsignificant. These findings require replication but are compatible with an anti-androgenic effect of prenatal TCS exposure on fetal growth in boys.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1289/ehp.1409637

DO - 10.1289/ehp.1409637

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26908126

SN - 0091-6765

VL - 124

SP - 1261

EP - 1268

JO - Environmental Health Perspectives

JF - Environmental Health Perspectives

IS - 8

ER -

Prenatal Triclosan Exposure and Anthropometric Measures Including Anogenital Distance in Danish Infants

Abstract

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