Phthalate exposure and male reproductive outcomes: A systematic review of the human epidemiological evidence

A suggested bisphenol A metabolite (MBP) interfered with reproductive organ development in the chicken embryo while a human-relevant mixture of phthalate monoesters had no such effects

“…Similar to BPA, the use of phthalates in numerous products results in widespread human exposure (Wormuth et al 2006), and various phthalates are ubiquitously present in the environment (Gani, Tyagi, and Kazmi 2017). Phthalates have been suggested to contribute to male reproductive disorders, including testicular dysgenesis syndrome which may have fetal origin (Bornehag et al 2015;Dorman et al 2018;Habert et al 2009;Radke et al 2018;Skakkebaek, Rajpert-De Meyts, and Main 2001;Swan et al 2015). The epidemiological evidence is not entirely consistent; associations between phthalate exposure and testosterone levels range from a negative association (Meeker and Ferguson 2014) to no association (Mieritz et al 2012).…”

“…The epidemiological evidence is not entirely consistent; associations between phthalate exposure and testosterone levels range from a negative association (Meeker and Ferguson 2014) to no association (Mieritz et al 2012). Recently, Radke et al (2018) examined the epidemiological evidence and found that it supports the hypothesis that phthalate exposure may result in adverse male reproductive effects, albeit the authors recognized inconsistencies between studies and the difficulty to draw conclusions regarding all phthalates as a group. Experimental evidence generally supports the idea that early exposure to phthalates has implications for reproductive health (De Campos et al 2019;Gray et al 2000;Mylchreest, Cattley, and Foster 1998;Mylchreest et al 2000;Parks et al 2000;Shono et al 2000) but there are species differences in both effects and sensitivity (Gray et al 1982;Johnson, Heger, and Boekelheide 2012) and non-monotonic doseresponse have been observed (Lin et al 2008).…”

Acute effects on human sperm exposed in vitro to cadmium chloride and diisobutyl phthalate

“…Recent epidemiological evidence reported increased risk of reproductive disorders following prenatal and postnatal persistent exposure to environmental chemicals (Bonde et al 2016, Wang et al 2016a, Sifakis et al 2017. For example, alterations of semen parameters have been reported following exposure to phthalates, commonly used as plasticizers (Radke et al 2018) and in subjects with high semen concentrations of heavy metals, widely used in industry (Sun et al 2017). In addition, high levels of heavy metals in follicular fluid and high concentrations of phthalate metabolites in female urine decrease assisted reproduction outcomes (Wdowiak et al 2017, Al-Saleh et al 2019.…”

Validated Method for the Detection of Three Phthalates Derived from Marine Invertebrates

“…Of particular concern is the primary effect associated with PAEs, i.e., altered functioning in the endocrine systems of different biota, both female and male. PAEs act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, even at very low concentrations [2] [10] [11]. Benzyl butyl phthalate, DBP and DEHP have been shown to have a proliferative effect on normal breast cells [10].…”

“…Benzyl butyl phthalate, DBP and DEHP have been shown to have a proliferative effect on normal breast cells [10]. Radke et al [11] demonstrated a negative impact of DEHP and DBP on human male reproductive function. That study indicated a dramatic decrease in semen quality associated with increasing exposure to DBP.…”