Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and anogenital distance at 3 months of age as marker of endocrine disruption.

In the Odense child cohort, serum concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were measured in 649 pregnant women at approximately 12 weeks of gestation. Birth weight, head and abdominal circumferences were measured, and gestational age determined. Anogenital distance (AGD), i.e., the distance from the anus to the genital organs, penile width and body weight were measured 3 months after the expected date of birth in 511 children. PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA and PFDA were associated with a decreased AGD in girls (p-trend<0.05) after adjusting for age and weight-for-age standard deviation score. Specifically, PFOS in the highest quartile was associated with a 2.8mm (95% confidence intervals -4.5;-1.1) reduction in AGD in girls. No such tendencies were seen in boys. However, a tendency toward increased birth weight in girls and reduced in boys suggests that sex-dimorphic effects may occur from endocrine disrupting effects of these substances.