Stainless steel welding and semen quality

Questionnaire studies of patients from fertility clinics suggest that welders may have an increased risk of reduced semen quality. In this study, welders and nonwelders from the same plants were asked to provide blood, urine, and semen samples. Urine was analyzed for chromium and nickel, and for mutagenic activity and metal concentration; blood for metal concentrations, immunoglobulin G, total protein, and measures of genotoxicity in lymphocytes; and semen was evaluated by standard semen analysis. Results of the semen evaluation, presented here, showed no difference in semen quality between welders and nonwelders. Because the metal dust exposure of nonwelders in the plant may be higher than that in the general population, welders were also compared to referents not working in the metal industry. Again, no decrease in semen quality associated with welding was demonstrated.