Comparison of infertility rates in communities from boron-rich and boron-poor territories

Tüccar, Ersöz; Elhan, Atilla Halil; Yavuz, Yasemin; Bs, Sayli

doi:10.1007/bf02783151

Cited by 19 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Of even greater concern is the fact that the rationale for the current regulations is subject to question due to scientific uncertainty. It is imperative that discussions and policies developed are based on sound science [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boron in Human Health: Evidence for Dietary Recommendations and Public Policies

Meacham¹,

Karakas²,

Wallace³

et al. 2010

TOMPJ

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For over twenty years boron has been of interest to investigators confirming the safety and essentiality of the element in humans. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and pulses are natural sources of boron in the diet which world wide averages about 1-3 mg daily for most adults. In boron-rich regions of Turkey drinking water sources with 29 mg boron/liter are consumed without harmful effects. The European Union established a safe drinking water standard of 1.0 mg boron/ litre a level difficult for some regions to achieve. Safe standards are difficult to establish due to limited information and widely varying boron concentrations in food and water, high exposures in boron-rich regions or occupational settings and voluntary intakes, for example, of boron containing products. Current research implicates boron as an essential nutrient in humans demonstrating healthful effects in cellular functions associated with osteoporosis, arthritis, inflammation and cancer. Proposed mechanisms of action implicate that boron, found in cells as boric acid, participates in important membrane functions and intracellular signaling cascades. Traditionally, biochemical mechanisms associated with healthfully beneficial effects are needed for nutrients to meet the criteria for essentiality in humans. While boron meets the traditional criteria to be determined essential in humans the research process has provided additional insight into essentiality for boron insight that essentiality for trace elements may based on different criteria. The study of boron in living systems provides a more fundamentally important role by demonstrating functions for trace elements differing from those needed to confirm essentiality previously for carbon based compounds, i.e., carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and vitamins in human nutrition. To conclude, boron can be a model element to introduce a new field of study, "elementomics". Further studies from boron-rich areas are needed to determine essentiality, dietary requirements, metabolic functions, therapeutic applications, economic benefits and important public policies for boron, a biologically important trace element.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boron in Human Health: Evidence for Dietary Recommendations and Public Policies

Meacham¹,

Karakas²,

Wallace³

et al. 2010

TOMPJ

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“…Initially, reproduction toxicology studies were based upon data obtained from animal studies and adapted to human risk evaluations 20 . It was reported in several field studies that B does not affect human reproductive systems or the sexual capabilities of people exposed to daily high levels 21 – 25 . Although these aforementioned field studies were performed in B-rich areas, the average daily B exposure in the field was not determined at that time.…”

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confidence: 99%

Estimation of human daily boron exposure in a boron-rich area

Korkmaz

Şaylı²,

Sayli

et al. 2007

Br J Nutr

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Although, the safe limits of human daily boron (B) exposure are not absolutely clear, there is a growing interest in B and its effects on human health. The aim of the present study was to estimate daily B exposure in 66 males in Turkey living in a B-rich area using water containing at least 2 mg/l boron, with an average age of 38·55 (SE 1·66) years and an average number of years of residence in the B-rich area of 35·89 (SE 1·73). Another group of males (n 57), living in the city centres of Balıkesir and Ankara, were taken as controls; the average age and number of years of residence for this group were 29·44 (SE 1·43) and 10·26 (SE 1·83) years, respectively. As it is assumed that the B level in urine reflects daily B exposure, the amount of urinary B of both the study and control groups was analysed by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique. The average daily B exposure value was calculated as 6·77 (SE 0·47) mg in the study group and 1·26 (SE 0·1) mg in the controls. The results of this study are expected to contribute to creating a reference value for a safe daily B exposure. Boron: Daily exposure: Risk assessmentRecent studies conducted both in vitro and epidemiologically have indicated that boron (B) exposure may make significant contributions to human health 1 -3 . Humans are naturally exposed to B via food and drinking water 4 . B is absorbed almost completely by the gastrointestinal and respiratory system if exposure occurs, and is mostly present in body tissues and fluids as boric acid, B(OH) 3 , and in lesser amounts as B(OH) 4 2 anion 5 . Studies indicate that B homeostasis is basically maintained by urinary excretion 6 .B was defined as a trace element in 1980 7 . In spite of the lack of epidemiological data, the WHO reported that boron may provide a physiological benefit for human health 8 . Safe and/or beneficial B levels have not been determined for humans, though animal studies have defined deleterious and beneficial B levels for animals 9 .In a study by Penland 10 , it was outlined that B improves brain function and psychomotor response. It increases steroid hormone concentrations and has antioxidant properties in postmenopausal women 9,11 . There is also evidence that B plays a role in healthy bones and joints 12,13 . Additionally, in recent years there have also been some promising results concerning the treatment of certain malignancies 14,15 .Toxicological effects have also been reported in animals at higher doses, e.g in mice, rats and rabbits skeletal malformations and cardiovascular defects have been observed 16,17 . Although not confirmed, it was claimed that B had a deleterious effect in humans, the target organ being the testis. Atrophy and eventual degeneration of the organ in several animal species at high doses have been shown 18,19 . Initially, reproduction toxicology studies were based upon data obtained from animal studies and adapted to human risk evaluations 20 . It was reported in several field studies that B does not affect human r...

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“…A first series of studies into human reproductive toxicity has been performed in environmentally exposed populations residing in boron-rich areas of Turkey with high drinking water levels and no clear-cut effects on reproduction were observed (Şaylı et al 1998;Korkmaz et al 2007). Also, fertility figures Şaylı et al 1998;Korkmaz et al 2011) and spontaneous abortions and stillbirths (Tüccar et al 1998) showed no difference between subpopulations with high vs. low boron exposure.…”

Section: Studies In Turkeymentioning

confidence: 91%

Effects of boron compounds on human reproduction

2020

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Because of the high pKa of boric acid, inorganic borates, when taken up by the human or animal organism, exist in the body almost exclusively in the form of non-dissociated boric acid. Therefore, the variety of inorganic boron compounds is commonly addressed in the toxicological literature as “boron” (B). There is a discussion concerning categorisation of inorganic boron compounds as reproductive toxins. Boron treatment of rats, mice and dogs was dose-dependently associated with testicular toxicity, characterised by inhibited spermiation at lower dose levels and by reduction of epididymal sperm counts at higher dose levels. The NOAEL for such fertility effects of boric acid in male rats (oral feeding, Sprague Dawley strain) was evaluated to be 17.5 mg B/kg bw per day. As far as developmental toxicity is concerned, oral dosing of 9.6 mg B/kg bw daily to female pregnant Sprague Dawley rats remained without effects, with foetal skeletal effects observed at higher doses. Therefore, 9.6 mg B/kg bw (oral dosing) was evaluated as NOAEL for developmental effects of boric acid. The blood level in rats, equivalent to this NOAEL, is 1270 ng B/g. As far as B-exposed humans are concerned, field studies on the effect of boron on human reproduction are possible only in a few boron-rich geographical areas. Published field studies were conducted in China’s Liaoning province, the Argentinian Andes and Western Anatolia/Turkey. Particularly relevant are studies on occupationally B-exposed groups, because the potential exposure to boron is much higher in occupational compared to environmental settings. Comparison of estimated daily B exposure levels in humans and actually measured B blood levels confirms the preference of biomonitoring for exposure assessment in environmental and occupational studies. A boron blood level scaling shows that the levels of high occupational B exposures reported in China and in Turkey are compatible. Compared to the experimental B blood levels at boron-related NOAELs for male fertility and for developmental toxicity in rats, the human blood level means of the highest occupational exposure groups in China and in Turkey are lower by factors of > 4 and > 2, respectively. Basically, concentrations of B within the body that exert reproductive toxicity in humans are not reached under the conditions of human normal handling and use, including conditions of extreme occupational exposures. In consequence, all relevant results of studies into human reproductive toxicity of B are basically negative. Considering the effective doses, there is no scientific contradiction between experimental and human results of B reproductive toxicity.

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Comparison of infertility rates in communities from boron-rich and boron-poor territories

Cited by 19 publications

References 3 publications

Boron in Human Health: Evidence for Dietary Recommendations and Public Policies

Boron in Human Health: Evidence for Dietary Recommendations and Public Policies

Estimation of human daily boron exposure in a boron-rich area

Effects of boron compounds on human reproduction

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