Search

Background: International research has recently shown an association between exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and the risk of diabetes, although limited results are available for exposure to bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF). The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between impregnation with BPA, BPS, and BPF and the prevalence of diabetes or prediabetes in the French adult population. Methods: Based on the Esteban cross-sectional study, 852 adults aged 18 to 74 years living in France were included. To assess the link between urinary concentration of BPA, BPS and BPF and a state of dysglycemia (diabetes or prediabetes), logistic regression multivariable models were performed and adjusted for known risk factors for diabetes and urine creatinine concentration. Results: The percentage of included individuals with diabetes or prediabetes was 17.8% (95% CI = [15.3–20.4]). Urinary BPA concentration was significantly higher in people with diabetes or prediabetes, independent of the known risk factors for diabetes (OR for an increase of 0.1 units in log-transformed concentration of BPA (μg/L) = 1.12; 95%CI = [1.05–1.19], p < 0.001). However, we did not find any significant independent association between urinary BPS and BPF levels and the prevalence of diabetes or prediabetes. Conclusions: In this sample, considering the diabetes risk factors, diabetes or prediabetes was positively associated with higher urinary BPA concentration but not with urinary BPS and BPF concentrations. However, analysis of prospective longitudinal studies are still necessary to demonstrate a causal link between bisphenol exposure and the risk of diabetes or prediabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic diseases, such as obesity, Type II diabetes and hepatic steatosis, are a significant public health concern affecting more than half a billion people worldwide. The prevalence of these diseases is constantly increasing in developed countries, affecting all age groups. The pathogenesis of metabolic diseases is complex and multifactorial. Inducer factors can either be genetic or linked to a sedentary lifestyle and/or consumption of high-fat and sugar diets. In 2002, a new concept of "environmental obesogens" emerged, suggesting that environmental chemicals could play an active role in the etiology of obesity. Bisphenol A (BPA), a xenoestrogen widely used in the plastic food packaging industry has been shown to affect many physiological functions and has been linked to reproductive, endocrine and metabolic disorders and cancer. Therefore, the widespread use of BPA during the last 30 years could have contributed to the increased incidence of metabolic diseases. BPA was banned in baby bottles in Canada in 2008 and in all food-oriented packaging in France from 1 January 2015. Since the BPA ban, substitutes with a similar structure and properties have been used by industrials even though their toxic potential is unknown. Bisphenol S has mainly replaced BPA in consumer products as reflected by the almost ubiquitous human exposure to this contaminant. This review focuses on the metabolic effects and targets of BPA and recent data, which suggest comparable effects of the structural analogs used as substitutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure of pregnant women to endocrine disruptor compounds, such as parabens and bisphenol A is of concern for fetal transition. Their halogenated degradation products, mainly coming from water treatment plans, could be problematic as well, depending on their occurrence in drinking water in the first place. Thus, 25 halogenated compounds were synthesised in order to investigate 60 substances (Bisphenols, parabens and their degradation products) in 325 drinking water samples coming from a French cohort study of pregnant women. Analysis was performed by tandem mass spectrometry coupled to gas chromatography (GC-MS/MS) after SPE extraction and derivation of the contaminants. Results indicate that parabens (methylparaben, n-propylparaben, ethylparaben and n-butylparaben), bisphenols S, A and F, and their degradation product, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, were detected up to several hundred ng/L in drinking water, with detection frequencies between 16% and 88%. Regarding halogenated degradation products, the highest detection frequencies were found for monochlorinated products (about 50% for 2-chlorobisphenol A), which were quantified up to several tens of ng/L. Such analytical approaches with broader spectrum of monitoring (i.e. chemical hazards and their degradation products) constitute in the beginning of a solution to exhaustively answer the questions related to the characterization of the human chemical exposome. [Display omitted] • Drinking water samples (325) were collected from a pregnant French women cohort study. • Halogeno-parabens and -bisphenol A were synthesized with high purity (> 98%). • Quantification by GC-MS/MS of six bisphenols, nine parabens and their degradation products at ultra-trace levels (ng/L). • First occurrence data of bromo- and chloro- BPA and parabens in drinking water in France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the information pregnant women received regarding possible exposures to five recognized reprotoxic agents during their pregnancy.Study Design: A cohort study was conducted using two postnatal units in France. Women hospitalized in postnatal units were requested to complete a self-administered two part questionnaire. The first part gathered information about the patient's socio-professional level and the type of pregnancy follow-up. The second part examined the information the patient received regarding daily products containing the following known reprotoxic agents: bisphenol A, toluene, n-hexane, cis-chloroallyl-triaza-azonia-adamantane-chloride and O-phenyl-phenol. The women cited the sources of information. We combined the employment status and educational level to separate the women into two groups. The groups were then compared using the Chi Square test or Fisher's exact test.Result(s): There were 390 women in this study. Our results showed the women received information regarding the following: 21.6% (n=84) regarding tin cans, 21.9% (n=85) concerning plastic meal boxes when heated in microwave ovens, 8.8% (n=32) about water in gas-bottles, 27.4% (n=106) about non-organic foods, 39.3% (n=152) about hair dyes, 17% (n=66) about nail polishes, 23.4% (n=103) about insect repellents, 34.4% (n=133) about "do-it-yourself" products, 2.1% (n=8) about gardening products, 26.7% (n=103) about electric plug-in repellents, 21.1% (n=81) about housekeeping products, and 6.8% (n=26) about register receipts. Women with a higher level of education and a qualified occupation were better informed about these daily products. These women were more likely to learn the information on their own (internet, media).Conclusion(s): Our study showed French women did not receive sufficient information regarding potential exposures to reprotoxic agents during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our purpose was to characterize the fate of bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate contamination simultaneously in a sewage network and a watercourse, in relation with hydrological and climatic conditions. An elementary catchment of the Seine basin, receiving effluents from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), was chosen because of its basic hydrological features. BPA and DEHP concentrations in the WWTP inputs were 4 and 33 μg L −1 whereas in the outputs, they were only 0.4 and 2 μg L −1 , respectively. Contaminant ratios in the suspended sediment phase of the WWTP inputs ranged from 0.5% to 88%, related to their molecular properties. BPA and phthalates were effectively removed in the WWTP (>90% for both compounds), by degradation and decantation. Upstream of the discharge, river concentrations ranged from 0.002 to 0.175 μg L −1 for BPA and from 0.16 to 0.90 μg L −1 for DEHP. Downstream from the WWTP outputs, concentrations ranged from 0.11 to 0.79 μg L −1 for BPA and from 0.31 μg L −1 to 1.7 μg L −1 for DEHP: the WWTP discharge led to contaminant increases of 3.8 and 2 times, respectively. Far downstream, concentrations were lower ranging from 0.11 to 0.19 μg L −1 for BPA and from 0.36 μg L −1 to 1.1 μg L −1 for DEHP. BPA and phthalates displayed opposite seasonal variations with a decrease for the first one and an increase for the second one during summer. BPA contamination in the Charmoise river derived mainly from the WWTP, while phthalate contamination was attributed to both WWTP discharges and diffuse sources such as atmospheric bulk deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in a wide variety of products and objects for consumers use (digital media such as CD's and DVD's, sport equipment, food and beverage containers, medical equipment). Here, we demonstrate the ubiquitous presence of this contaminant in foods with a background level of contamination of less than 5 μg/kg in 85% of the 1498 analysed samples. High levels of contamination (up to 400 μg/kg) were found in some foods of animal origin. We used a probabilistic approach to calculate dietary exposure from French individual consumption data for infants under 36 months, children and adolescents from 3 to 17 years, adults over 18 years and pregnant women. The estimated average dietary exposure ranged from 0.12 to 0.14 μg/kg body weight per day (bw/d) for infants, from 0.05 to 0.06 μg/kg bw/d for children and adolescents, from 0.038 to 0.040 μg/kg bw/d for adults and from 0.05 to 0.06 μg/kg bw/d for pregnant women. The main sources of exposure were canned foods (50% of the total exposure), products of animal origin (20%) and 30% as a background level. Based on the toxicological values set by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) for pregnant women, the risk was non negligible. Thus, we simulated scenarios to study the influence of cans and/or food of animal origin on the BPA-related risk for this specific population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are ubiquitous contaminants in indoor environments, emanating from different sources and partitioning among several compartments, including the gas phase, airborne particles, and settled dust Nevertheless, simultaneous measurements in the three compartments are rarely reported. In this study, we investigated indoor concentrations of a wide range of SVOCs in 30 French dwellings. In settled dust, 40 out of 57 target compounds were detected. The highest median concentrations were measured for phthalates and to a lesser extent for bisphenol A, synthetic musks, some pesticides, and PAHs. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and diisononyl phthalate (DFNP) were the most abundant compounds. A total of 34 target compounds were detected both in the gas phase and airborne particles. The highest concentrations were measured for diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and synthetic musks in the gas phase and for DEHP, DiBP, DBP, and DINP in the airborne particles. This is the first study on the indoor concentrations of a wide range of SVOCs in settled dust, gas phase, and airborne particles collected simultaneously in each dwelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to collect new data on the occurrence, levels of priority and emerging organic compounds in freshwater fish sampled in the Rhone River. The 34 studied contaminants included alkylphenols, bisphenol A, polybromodiphenylethers (PBDE), perfluorinated compounds, hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCD), hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD). About 50 fish samples (individual specimens or pooled fish) were collected from three sites located upstream and downstream of the Lyon metropolitan area in the Rhone River (France). Four species were caught at each site, namely: the barbel ( Barbus barbus), the common bream ( Abramis brama), the white bream ( Blicca bjoerkna) and the chub ( Squalius cephalus). Some contaminants were quantified in all the 32 fish samples analysed: 4-nonylphenol, α-HBCD, the six PBDE congeners (28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154), perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorodecanoic acid. Twenty three of the 32 samples had a concentration of PFOS above the Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) (up to six times higher than the EQS), and all the 32 samples had concentrations of PBDE above the EQS (up to 4,000 times higher, with the sum of six PBDE varying from 4.5 to 182 ng/g dry weight). Clearly, the interest to consider PFOS and HBCD as new priority substances is confirmed. In contrast, the pertinence of a priority status for HCBD, which was never quantified in our study, might have to be reconsidered in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A total diet study on non-breastfed children under the age of 3 conducted in France. • Risks associated with certain substances from food contact materials assessed. • No exposure of concern found, except for bisphenol A (BPA). • BPA exposure may be overestimated as sampling performed prior to BPA regulations. A total diet study (TDS) was conducted in France to assess the health risks related to the chemicals in food of non-breastfed children under three years of age (Infant TDS). For the first time, substances coming from food contact materials, such as bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and its derivatives, some phthalates, and some ink photoinitiators, were targeted because of growing interest in these substances. Food samples were collected to be representative of the whole diet of non-breastfed children aged 1–36 months, and prepared as consumed prior to analysis. Dietary exposure was assessed for 705 representative children under three years of age. Generally, the substances from food contact materials were detected in few samples: 38% for BPA, 0% for BADGE and its derivatives, 0–35% for phthalates, 1.9% for benzophenone, and 0% for the other ink photoinitiators. Regarding exposure levels, the situation was deemed tolerable for BADGE and its hydrolysis products, di-isodecyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and di-isononyl phthalate, benzophenone, and 4-methylbenzophenone. Only for BPA, the exposure levels of some children exceeded the lowest toxicological value established by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety at 0.083 µg.kg bw−1.d−1. The temporary tolerable daily intake of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), set at 4 µg.kg bw−1.d−1, was never exceeded. However, actual exposure to BPA was probably overestimated, as well as the associated risk, because the foods were sampled prior to the recent regulations banning BPA in food packaging. This study is the first worldwide to provide an estimate of infant food contamination levels and exposures of children under 3 years of age, based on a TDS approach. It therefore provides key data on the exposure of this particularly sensitive population to substances released from food contact materials, and presents useful data for studies evaluating exposure to mixtures or aggregated exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A representative assessment of exposure to domestic contaminants in the French population. • Generalized exposures for domestic contaminants although some substances are regulated. • Exposure reference values established, important for decision makers. As part of the French Human Biomonitoring (HBM) programme, the Esteban study described, among other things, biomarkers levels of various chemicals in adults (18–74 years old) and children (6–17 years old). This paper describes the design of the study and provides, for the first time, data on the biological exposure of the general French population to a wide range of contaminants posing a threat to human health which are currently found in domestic environments. Esteban is a cross-sectional study conducted on a nationwide sample of the French general population. Exposure biomarkers of six families of contaminants deemed detrimental to adults' and children's health were measured in biological samples collected either at participants' homes by a nurse, or brought to a National Health Insurance examination centre. All participants were randomly selected (2503 adults and 1104 children). The geometric mean and percentiles of the distribution of levels were estimated for each biomarker. Most of the descriptive statistical analyses were performed taking into account the sampling design. Results provided a nationwide description of biomarker levels. Bisphenols (A, S and F), and some metabolites of phthalates and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) (specifically, PFOS and PFOA) were quantified in almost all the biological samples analysed. Higher levels were observed in children (except for PFCs). Levels were coherent with international studies, except for bisphenols S and F, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and parabens (with higher levels reported in the USA than in France). This study is the first to provide a representative assessment of biological exposure to domestic contaminants at the French population level. Our results show that the French general population was exposed to a wide variety of pollutants in 2014–2016, and identify the determinants of exposure. These findings will be useful to stakeholders who wish to advocate an overall reduction in the French population's exposure to harmful substances. Similar future studies in France will help to measure temporal trends, and enable public policies focused on the reduction of those chemicals in the environment to be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the changes brought in the tax laws of palm oil which were rejected by the French Senate. It states that the changes was introduced by a Socialist senator in the draft of social security financing. It further mentions that reason behind increased taxes on palm products is to reduce the occurrence of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. It also informs about a law related to Bisphenol A (BPA) which was adopted by the French Parliament.

Distribution of the phenol urinary concentrations adjusted for specific gravity in the SEPAGES cohort during pregnancy (periods second (N T2 = 477) and third trimesters ((N T3 = 456), and infancy (2 months (N M2 = 152) and 1 year (N Y1 = 100). Compounds with less than 4% detection are not shown (bisphenols F, B, AF and triclocarban). For the bisphenol A infant samples (2 months and 1 year) the concentrations of the conjugated form instead of the total form are presented as external contamination was suspected. Abbreviations: LOD = limit of detection, LOQ = limit of quantification. • Phenol concentrations were assessed accurately through the collection of repeated samples. • Pregnancy and early infancy, sensitive yet rarely analyzed periods were studied. • High detection rates of bisphenol A, parabens and triclosan in mothers and infants. • Concentrations for several phenols were higher at 12 months than during pregnancy. • Cashiers had higher bisphenol S but not bisphenol A levels than unemployed women. Parabens, bisphenol A and triclosan have been forbidden or restricted in specific types of consumer goods in Europe and France. Limited biomonitoring data are available in France since the implementation of these regulations, and exposure data on infants is scarce worldwide. Understanding the predictors of phenol urinary concentrations will help identify potential targets for prevention. We described levels, variability and predictors of exposure to 12 phenols in pregnant women and infants recruited between 2014 and 2017 in a French couple-child cohort. Among 479 pregnant women and 150 of their infants, we studied phenol urinary concentrations in within-subject, within-period pools of repeated urine samples collected during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (up to 42 samples per woman), at 2 months and 12 months (up to 14 samples per infant). Time trends and associations with demographic, protocol, occupational and behavioral factors were studied using interval censored models to accommodate for undetected and unquantified urine concentrations. Detection rates were above 90% for bisphenol A, ethylparaben, methylparaben, benzophenone-3 and triclosan and below 5% for bisphenol AF, B, F and triclocarban. Median levels of bisphenol A, bisphenol S, methylparaben, ethylparaben and propylparaben at 12 months were similar or higher than during pregnancy. For pregnant women all phenols but benzophenone-3 and bisphenol S showed a linear decrease between 2014 and 2017 (p-values < 0.02). Women with the shortest education (primary and secondary school) had higher urinary concentrations of triclosan (β = 0.58 (95% confidence interval (CI), −0.04; 1.20)), ethyl (β = 0.43 (95%CI, 0.03; 0.84)) and propyl paraben (β = 1.39 (95%CI, 0.55; 2.24)) than those with the longest education. Cashiers had higher conccentrations of bisphenol S (β = 0.99 (95%CI, −0.11; 2.09)) but not of bisphenol A (β = −0.04 (95%CI, −0.26; 0.19)) than unemployed women. Despite recent regulations, bisphenol A, triclosan and paraben detection rates were high in women and young infants. High bisphenol and paraben median levels at 12 months require further investigation as early infancy is a sensitive period for exposure to environmental contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present here a comprehensive study (1-year regular sampling) on the occurrence of major families of organic plastic additives in the Rhône River surface waters. Potential sources and contaminant export are also discussed. A total of 22 dissolved phase samples were analyzed for 22 organic additives mainly used in the plastic industry, including organophosphate esters (OPEs), phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenols (BPs). Our results indicate that PAEs were the most abundant class, with concentrations ranging from 97 to 541 ng L−1, followed by OPEs (85–265 ng L−1) and BPs (4–21 ng L−1). Among PAEs, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was the most abundant compound, whereas TCPP (Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate) and TnBP (Tri(n-butyl)phosphate) were the predominant OPEs. Bisphenol S was the only BP detected. 5–54 metric tons year−1 of dissolved organic plastic additives of emerging concern are estimated to be exported to the Gulf of Lion by the Rhône River, which is the main freshwater source of the Mediterranean Sea. Image 1 • Riverine organophosphate ester, phthalate and bisphenol concentrations are reported. • DEHP and TCPP were the most abundant compounds in the dissolved phase water samples. • An annual input of 5–54 t plastic additives by the Rhône into the sea is estimated. Organic plastic additives were present in all water samples from the Rhône River, with concentrations of up to ∼830 ng L−1 for Σ 17 compounds. Phthalates were most abundant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are concerns that developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as phenolic compounds and phthalates could affect child cognitive function. Epidemiological studies tackling this question have mainly focused on phthalate metabolites and bisphenol A, but not on the other phenolic compounds. Our study aimed to assess the relationship between in-utero exposure to phthalates, bisphenol A and other phenolic compounds (parabens, triclosan, dichlorophenols and benzophenone-3) and the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of boys at 5-6 years., Methods: In 452 mother-son dyads from the French EDEN cohort, we measured 11 phthalate metabolites and 9 phenolic compounds (4 parabens, benzophenone-3, bisphenol A, 2 dichlorophenols and triclosan) in spot urine samples collected between 22 and 29 gestational weeks. Verbal and performance IQ of children were assessed at 5-6 years by a psychologist using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI). We used adjusted Structural Equation Models (SEM) combined with Benjamini and Hochberg false discovery rate correction to assess the associations between maternal urine phenol and phthalate metabolite concentrations considered simultaneously and the boys' IQ., Results: No phenol or phthalate metabolite concentration was negatively associated with the boys' verbal or performance IQ (uncorrected p-values ≥0.09). Mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate tended to be associated with increased verbal IQ (β = 0.136, 95% confidence interval, 0.01; 0.27). This association disappeared after correction for multiple comparison (corrected p-value, 0.71)., Conclusion: Our results did not provide evidence of an inverse association between in-utero exposure to phenols or phthalates and verbal and performance IQ among boys. Since phenols and phthalates may have sex-specific effects, these null findings cannot be generalized to girls. Limitations included use of a single spot urine sample to assess exposures and lack of consideration of postnatal exposures.

The article offers news briefs related to Health and food safety in France as of 2013. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) will be conducting infant food consumption risk assessment after being informed of infant malnutrition cases. The ANSES has issued its Bisphenol A's risk assessment results. The Court of Appeal has convicted the French State through a guarantee fund for manufacturing pesticides containing Benzene.

The article reports on the controversy over France's ban on the Bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging. Topics discussed include the Association Plastics Europe's opposition against the ban on the basis that it is an unjustified restriction to the freedom of commerce and the French Constitutional court's ruling on September 17, 2015 concerning the validity of the law banning BPA.

The article reports on the enforcement of a law which prohibits the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in all food packaging in France on January 1, 2015. The implication of the law on products containing BPA in European Union (EU) starting January is discussed. The contradiction between the findings of a health risk analysis conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, is noted.

Study Question: Does a relationship exist between insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and selected environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) in human cord blood (cb)?, Summary Answer: In the whole population (cryptorchid and control boys) cbINSL3 correlated negatively with cb free bisphenol A (BPA) providing indirect evidence for an impact of EEDs on fetal Leydig cell INSL3 production., What Is Known Already: INSL3 is a major regulator of testicular descent. This hormone has been shown to be decreased in cord blood from boys with idiopathic cryptorchidism, the most frequent male malformation. Fetal exposure to several EEDs has been suspected to be involved in the occurrence of idiopathic cryptorchidism., Study Design, Size, Duration: Correlations between cb INSL3 or testosterone and cb free bioactive BPA and maternal milk polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB153), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and monobutyl phthalate (mBP) were assessed in newborn boys in a prospective case-control study. All boys (n = 6246) born after 34 weeks of gestation were systematically screened at birth for cryptorchidism over a 3-year period (2002-2005), and a diagnosis of cryptorchidism confirmed by a senior paediatrician., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: We studied 52 cryptorchid (26 transient, 26 persistent) and 128 control boys born at two hospitals in southern France. INSL3 was assayed in CB by a modified validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Testosterone was measured in CB after diethyl-ether extraction by means of ultra-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Free cbBPA was measured after an extraction step with a radioimmunoassay validated after comparison of values obtained by high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The xenobiotic analysis in mothers' milk was performed after fat extraction by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry., Main Results and the Role of Chance: EED concentrations were not increased in the cryptorchid versus control group although a trend for increased mBP (P = 0.09) was observed. In the whole study population, cb levels of BPA correlated negatively with INSL3 (P = 0.01; R² = 0.05) but not with testosterone. No other EED correlated with INSL3 or with testosterone., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: The levels of BPA and INSL3 in cb may not reflect chronic fetal exposure to EEDs. The deleterious impact of EEDs on fetal testicular descent during specific windows of development has yet to be demonstrated., Wider Implications of the Findings: The negative correlation between cb free BPA and INSL3 provides indirect evidence for an impact of EEDs on human fetal Leydig cell INSL3 production and points to cbINSL3 as a possible target of EED action during fetal testis development., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Abstract: Urdaibai was declared a Biosphere’s Reserve by UNESCO in 1984. Because we observed a high prevalence of hermaphroditism in mussels sampled in Urdaibai in March 2004, we started the present research work in order to determine the presence of endocrine disruptors (EDs) in sediments and to study possible EDs effects on mussels and oysters using gonad index and vitellogenin (VTG)-like protein levels as biomarkers. Samples were collected at five localities in April 2007 and 2008, and in October 2007. Estrogenic hormones were not detected in sediments and levels of bisphenol A and organotin compounds were very low. Alkylphenols were found at moderate levels and showed a time-dependent decrease. Phthalates were found at levels up to 8000ng/g. High prevalence of oocyte atresia and necrosis occurred in mussels sampled in April. Retarded gametogenesis was observed in an oyster population from a shipyard. Hermaphrodites or alterations in VTG-like protein levels were not found but the high prevalence of histopathological alterations in oocytes is of concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]