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Published on: June 22, 2014
Seminal lead and copper in fertile and infertile men
F Jockenhövel1, M Bals-Pratsch, H P Bertram
1Institut für Reproduktionsmedizin, Universität Münster, Germany.
Abstract:
Lead and copper concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy in semen from 18 fertile and 172 infertile men. Significant correlations between copper concentrations in semen and sperm concentration (r = 0.32, P less than 0.001), percentage progressive motility (r = 0.23, P less than 0.005) and normal morphology (r = 0.22, P less than 0.005) were observed, while no such correlation existed for lead. However, semen copper concentrations of infertile men (194.99 +/- 5.70 micrograms l-1) and fertile men (183.39 +/- 14.37 micrograms l-1) did not differ significantly. Mean lead concentration in semen of fertile men was 11.18 +/- 0.62 micrograms l-1 and significantly higher than lead concentration in semen of fertile men (5.61 +/- 0.53 micrograms l-1, P less than 0.006). Reinvestigation of 18 infertile men after 2 years showed a significant drop of lead concentrations in semen from 17.31 +/- 1.41 to 6.94 +/- 1.32 micrograms l-1 (P less than 0.0002), which might be related to the decreasing use of leaded petrol in the Federal Republic of Germany.
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