Human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and prenatal risk factors for cryptorchidism and hypospadias: a nested case-control study Fernández, Mariana F. Olmos, Begoña Granada García, Alicia Elena López-Espinosa, María José Molina-Molina, José-Manuel Fernández, Juan Manuel Cruz, Milagros Olea Serrano, Fátima Olea Serrano, Nicolás Cryptorchidism Endocrine-disrupting chemicals Environmental estrogens hypo-spadias Occupational exposure Risk factors This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original DOI. BACKGROUND Exposure to xenoestrogens during pregnancy may disturb the development and function of male sexual organs. OBJECTIVE In this study we aimed to determine whether the combined effect of environmental estrogens measured as total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) is a risk factor for male urogenital malformations. METHODS In a case–control study, nested in a mother–child cohort (n = 702) established at Granada University Hospital, we compared 50 newborns with diagnosis of cryptorchidism and/or hypospadias with 114 boys without malformations matched by gestational age, date of birth, and parity. Controls did not differ from the total cohort in confounding variables. TEXB and levels of 16 organochlorine pesticides were measured in placenta tissues. Characteristics of parents, pregnancy, and birth were gathered by questionnaire. We used conditional and unconditional regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS TEXB from organohalogenated compounds was detectable in 72% and 54% of case and control placentas, respectively. Compared with controls, cases had an OR for detectable versus non-detectable TEXB of 2.82 (95% CI, 1.10–7.24). More pesticides were detected in cases than in controls (9.34 ± 3.19 vs. 6.97 ± 3.93). ORs for cases with detectable levels of pesticides, after adjusting for potential confounders in the conditional regression analysis, were o,p′-DDT (OR = 2.25; 95% CI, 1.03–4.89), p,p′-DDT (OR = 2.63; 95% CI, 1.21–5.72), lindane (OR = 3.38; 95% CI, 1.36–8.38), mirex (OR = 2.85; 95% CI, 1.22–6.66), and endosulfan alpha (OR = 2.19; 95% CI, 0.99–4.82). Engagement of mothers in agriculture (OR = 3.47; 95% CI, 1.33–9.03), fathers’ occupational exposure to xenoestrogens (OR = 2.98; 95% CI, 1.11–8.01), and history of previous stillbirths (OR = 4.20; 95% CI, 1.11–16.66) were also associated with risk of malformations. CONCLUSIONS We found an increased risk for male urogenital malformations related to the combined effect of environmental estrogens in placenta. 2013-04-26T12:19:21Z 2013-04-26T12:19:21Z 2007-12 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Fernández, M.F.; et al. Human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and prenatal risk factors for cryptorchidism and hypospadias: a nested case-control study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(S-1): 8-14 (2007). [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/24822] 0091-6765 doi: 10.1289/ehp.9351 PMCID: PMC2174399 http://hdl.handle.net/10481/24822 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences