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Author Spotlight: A Simple and Cost-Effective Method for Leukocyte Analysis in Semen
Published on: January 19, 2024
Occupation and Semen Parameters in a Cohort of Fertile Men
John D Meyer1, Charlene Brazil, J Bruce Redmon
1From the Department of Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (Drs Meyer and Swan); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (retired), University of California at Davis, Davis, California (Ms Brazil); Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Dr Redmon); Division of Endocrinology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Torrance, California (Dr Wang); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa (Dr Sparks).
Objective:
We examined associations between occupation and semen parameters in demonstrably fertile men in the Study for Future Families.
Methods:
Associations of occupation and workplace exposures with semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and morphology were assessed using generalized linear modeling.
Results:
Lower sperm concentration and motility were seen in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations. Higher exposure to lead, and to other toxicants, was seen in occupations with lower mean sperm concentrations (prevalence ratio for lead: 4.1; pesticides/insecticides: 1.6; solvents: 1.4). Working with lead for more than 3 months was associated with lower sperm concentration, as was lead exposure outside of work.
Conclusions:
We found evidence in demonstrably fertile men for reduced sperm quality with lead, pesticide/herbicide, and solvent exposure. These results may identify occupations where protective measures against male reproductive toxicity might be warranted.
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