Semen quality and sexual hormones in greenhouse workers

Abell, Annette; Ernst, Erik; Bonde, Jens Peter

doi:10.5271/sjweh.573

Cited by 167 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…Among Danish greenhouse workers exposed to pesticides, the median values of sperm concentration and proportion of normal spermatozoa were lower by 60% and 14%, respectively, in the high-and low-level exposure groups. The median sperm concentration was lower by 40% for men with over 10 years' work experience in a greenhouse than for those with experience below 5 years [43]. Also significantly lower sperm count was found in pesticide plant workers exposed to fenvalerate compared with non-exposed controls in the study performed in China [41] (Table 4).…”

Section: R E V I E W P a P E R S Ijomeh 2009;22(4)mentioning

confidence: 83%

“…In summary, there are several indications that some pesticides may impair semen quality in humans, but weak exposure assessment in most studies precludes proper identification of responsible agents and evaluation of exposure-response relations. exposure on sexual hormones were observed [39,43,44] (Table 4). However, this approach rarely provided any indications of cause-effect relationship.…”

Section: R E V I E W P a P E R S Ijomeh 2009;22(4)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental factors and semen quality

Jurewicz¹,

Hanke²,

Radwan³

et al. 2009

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

161

109

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Objectives: An increasing number of reports suggest that chemical and physical agents in the environment, introduced and spread by human activity, may affect male fertility in humans. This article aims at evaluating the impact of environmental exposures (pesticides, phthalates, PCBs, air pollution, trihalomethanes (THMs), mobile phones) on semen quality, by reviewing most recent published literature. Materials and Methods: Epidemiological studies focusing on exposure to environmental factors and semen quality for the last ten years were identified by a search of the Pubmed, Medline, Ebsco, Agricola and Toxnet literature bases. Results: The results from the presented studies suggest that there are strong and rather consistent indications that some pesticides besides DBCP (e.g. DDT/Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [DDE], ethylenedibromide, organophosphates) affects sperm count. PCBs are detrimental to sperm motility. In case of air pollution, studies suggest a link between ambient air pollutants and various semen characteristics. Additional research is needed to corroborate this association and to establish the causal agents. Results of few studies on subfertile men demonstrate associations between phthalate levels commonly experienced by the public and impaired sperm quality (impact on sperm concentration, morphology, motility), but the findings have not been corroborated in studies of men from the general population. Mobile phones might adversely affect the quality of semen by decreasing mostly motility but also the sperm counts, viability and morphology. In spite of their consistent results, most of the studies are rather small. Association between exposure to THMs and poor semen quality was not observed. Conclusions: Epidemiological studies suggest awareness of environmental factors which may affect semen quality. In case both of well proven and disputable reproductive and developmental hazards, it is necessary to prevent parental exposure to the agents associated with those hazards.

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Section: R E V I E W P a P E R S Ijomeh 2009;22(4)mentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: R E V I E W P a P E R S Ijomeh 2009;22(4)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental factors and semen quality

Jurewicz¹,

Hanke²,

Radwan³

et al. 2009

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

161

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Given that these pesticides could pose a possible risk for human reproduction, semen studies in pesticide-exposed workers have been conducted worldwide in recent years. Some of them suggested the deterioration of semen quality [16][17][18][19] , while others did not detect any significant alterations 20,21) . In the light of ongoing development of this research area, it is now necessary to accumulate more findings in various exposure settings.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Semen Indices in Insecticide Sprayers

Kamijima

Hibi

Gotoh

et al. 2004

Journal of Occupational Health

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A Survey of Semen Indices in InsecticideSprayers: Michihiro Kamijima, et al. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine-This study aims at clarifying the semen indices of insecticide sprayers who are exposed mainly to organophosphorus and pyrethroid insecticides. Eighteen male sprayers out of 54 working for 9 companies in central Japan and 18 age-matched students or medical doctors as unexposed controls participated in detailed reproductive check-ups conducted in summer and the following winter. The sprayers were exposed to insecticides more in summer, the busiest season, than winter, the off-season (p<0.05). Erythrocyte true cholinesterase activities in the sprayers were lower than in the controls in summer (p<0.05), and decreased in significant association with the increase in exposure frequency. Testicular volumes in the sprayers tended to be smaller than in the controls (p=0.06). The serum testosterone concentration in winter in the sprayers was higher than in the controls (p<0.05), though luteinizing h o r m o n e a n d f o l l i c l e s t i m u l a t i n g h o r m o n e concentrations were not significantly different. The sperm counts and vitality were comparable between the groups, but detailed sperm motility analysis in summer revealed that the percentages of slow progressive and nonprogressive motile sperm were twice as high in the sprayers (p<0.05), and that of rapid progressive sperm tended to be lower (p=0.06). Such differences were not observed in winter. Differential sperm morphology counts showed that interaction of group and abstinence effects were significant in sperm Received Aug 19, 2003; Accepted Nov 28, 2003 Correspondence to: M. Kamijima, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan (e-mail: kamijima@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp) with normal morphology and with head deformity only in the summer check-up. Despite possible inherent differences between the groups, the above seasondependent differences suggested that the observed lower semen quality in the sprayers was associated with pesticide spraying work.

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“…Abell et al (86) analyzed semen samples from 122 greenhouse workers with exposure to several pesticides, including primary exposure during mixing and spraying or secondary (re-entry) exposure during the handling of cultures. Although no relation was found between the semen characteristics and the overall exposure intensity, the workers with the highest estimated re-entry exposure had lower sperm concentrations and proportions of normal spermatozoa than the low-level exposure group.…”

Section: Bretveld Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%