Sex hormones and semen quality in welders exposed to hexavalent chromium

Recent experimental studies in rodents document the spermatotoxic effects of water-soluble hexavalent chromium. Welders comprise, worldwide, a major occupational group with acknowledged exposure to chromium. This study examines the relationship between semen quality and chromium in the urine and blood of a population of 30 tungsten inert gas (TIG) stainless steel welders, 30 mild steel welders and 47 non-welding workers. Each subject provided two to three semen samples. The chromium concentration ranged from 0.17 to 4.74 nmol mmol1 creatinine (median 1.08) in post-shift spot urine and from 6.0 to 46.4 nmol l-1 in blood. None of several semen parameters deteriorated with increasing level of internal exposure to chromium. Low-level exposure to hexavalent chromium associated with TIG stainless steel and mild steel welding do not appear to be a major hazard for human spermatogenesis.