Table 3.
Selected Characteristics of 1058 Sons Included in the FEPOS Cohort*
| Characteristics | All | Copenhagen Clinic | Aarhus Clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| N=1058 | N=830 | N=228 | |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2), mean [SD] | 22.5 [3.4] | 22.5 [3.3] | 22.7 [3.6] |
| Body Composition analysed, N (%) | 1055 (100) | 829 (100) | 226 (99) |
| Body fat mass (kg), mean [SD] | 11.5 [6.7] | 11.3 [6.6] | 12.3 [6.8] |
| Muscle mass (kg), mean [SD] | 60.8 [7.1] | 61.0 [7.1] | 60.0 [7.1] |
| Smoking habits, N (%) | |||
| Daily smoking | 250 (24) | 198 (24) | 52 (23) |
| Occasional/former smoker | 296 (28) | 241 (29) | 55 (24) |
| Never smoker | 508 (480) | 389 (47) | 119 (52) |
| Cotinine plasma levels (ng/mL)†§, median [p10-p90] | 5.8 [0.3–2951.9] | 11.5 [0.4–2540.1] | 1.5 [0.3–3124.4] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.3 ng/mL, N (%) | 46 (8) | 24 (7) | 22 (10) |
| Alcohol drinker, N (%) | 984 (93) | 769 (93) | 215 (94) |
| Physical activity, N (%) | |||
| No physical activity | 184 (18) | 149 (18) | 35 (16) |
| 1 time a week | 139 (13) | 107 (13) | 32 (14) |
| 2 times a week | 201 (19) | 165 (20) | 36 (16) |
| 3 times a week | 220 (21) | 164 (20) | 56 (25) |
| 4 times a week | 155 (15) | 121 (15) | 34 (15) |
| ≥5 times a week | 155 (15) | 122 (15) | 33 (15) |
| Biospecimens collected, N (%) | |||
| Semen | 1054 (100) | 829 (100) | 225 (99) |
| Blood | 1047 (99) | 821 (99) | 226 (99) |
| Urine | 1042 (99) | 819 (99) | 223 (98) |
| Hair | 690 (65) | 484 (58) | 206 (90) |
| Lung function measured, N (%) | 1052 (100) | 826 (100) | 226 (99) |
| Forced Expiratory Volume (FVC), mean [SD] | 5.6 [0.8] | 5.6 [0.8] | 5.3 [1.0] |
| Forced Expired Volume in the first second (FEV1), mean [SD] | 4.6 [0.7] | 4.7 [0.6] | 4.4 [0.9] |
| Ejaculation at the clinic, N (%) | 910 (87) | 720 (87) | 190 (86) |
| Spillage of semen sample, N (%) | 182 (17) | 146 (18) | 36 (16) |
| Season of ejaculation, N (%) | |||
| Winter | 199 (19) | 146 (18) | 53 (23) |
| Spring | 205 (19) | 142 (17) | 63 (28) |
| Summer | 258 (24) | 213 (26) | 45 (20) |
| Autumn | 396 (37) | 329 (40) | 67 (29) |
| Biomarkers of perfluoroalkyl acid exposure (PFFA)†‡, median [p10-p90] | |||
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)‡ (ng/mL) | 1.3 [0.9–2.0] | 1.4 [0.9–2.1] | 1.3 [0.9–2.0] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.02 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)‡ (ng/mL) | 4.3 [2.6–7.2] | 4.1 [2.6–6.5] | 4.4 [2.8–7.7] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.02 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Biomarkers of pesticide exposure§, median [p10-p90] | |||
| Trichloropyridinol (TCP)§ (ng/mL) | 1.0 [0.3–3.5] | 1.0 [0.4–3.7] | 0.9 [0.3–3.2] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.1 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| 3-Phenoxybencoic acid (3PBA)§ (ng/mL) | 0.3 [0.1–1.1] | 0.3 [0.1–1.1] | 0.3 [0.1–1.3] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.05 ng/mL, N (%) | 31 (6) | 20 (6) | 11 (5) |
| Bisphenol A (BPA)†§, median [p10-p90] | 1.3 [0.3–5.5] | 1.4 [0.4–6.6] | 1.2 [0.3–4.7] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.2 ng/mL, N (%) | 19 (3) | 7 (2) | 12 (5) |
| Biomarkers of phthalate exposure measured in urine†§, median [p10-p90] | |||
| Mono-(4-methyl-7-carboxyheptyl) phthalate (cx-MiNP)§ (ng/mL) | 3.6 [1.0–12.6] | 3.7 [1.0–13.4] | 3.5 [1.0–10.5] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.05 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (5-oxo-MEHP)§ (ng/mL) | 2.6 [0.8–8.1] | 2.7 [0.8–8.2] | 2.4 [0.7–7.5] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.2 ng/mL, N (%) | ≤5 | ≤5 | 0 (0) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (5-OH-MEHP)§ (ng/mL) | 4.5 [1.5–14.3] | 4.7 [1.6–15.2] | 4.3 [1.3–13.0] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.1 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5-cx-MEPP)§ (ng/mL) | 3.7 [1.1–11.9] | 3.9 [1.3–12.4] | 3.5 [1.0–10.1] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.07 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Biomarkers of phthalate exposure measured in blood†‡, median [p10-p90] | |||
| Mono-(4-methyl-7-carboxyheptyl) phthalate (cx-MiNP)‡ | 0.5 [0.2–1.5] | 0.5 [0.2–1.5] | 0.5 [0.2–1.5] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.02 ng/mL, N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (5-oxo-MEHP)‡ | <LOD [<LOD-0.1] | <LOD [<LOD-0.1] | <LOD [<LOD-0.1] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.1 ng/mL, N (%) | 532 (96) | 314 (95) | 218 (96) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (5-OH-MEHP)‡ | <LOD [<LOD-0.1] | <LOD [<LOD-0.1] | 0.1 [<LOD-0.1] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.05 ng/mL, N (%) | 305 (55) | 193 (59) | 112 (50) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5-cx-MEPP)‡ | 0.2 [0.1–0.4] | 0.2 [0.1–0.4] | 0.2 [0.1–0.3] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.05 ng/mL, N (%) | 12 (2) | 7 (2) | ≤5 |
| Triclosan†‡, median [p10-p90] | <LOD [<LOD-0.2] | <LOD [<LOD-0.2] | <LOD [<LOD-0.2] |
| Number of samples <LOD of 0.1 ng/mL, N (%) | 451 (81) | 262 (80) | 189 (84) |
Notes: *One mother had twins. †Analysis is ongoing, so far 559 urine samples and 555 blood samples have been analysed. ‡Measured in blood. §Measured in urine. p10-p90: 10th-90th percentile.
Abbreviation: LOD, limit of detection.