Original research articleEffects of fenvalerate exposure on semen quality among occupational workers
Introduction
China is one of the largest agricultural countries. With increased production and application of pesticide, public health issues related to pesticide have received more and more attention. Fenvalerate, a member of synthetic pyrethroids, type II, is widely used in agricultural and indoor pest control in China due to its high insecticidal activity and low hazard potential to humans. In past decades, the neurotoxic effects induced by fenvalerate have been well studied. However, some recent reports indicate that pyrethroids are linked to endocrine disruption, subsequently leading to reproductive dysfunction. Fenvalerate induced a significant decrease in testis weight, epididymal sperm counts, sperm motility and marker testicular enzymes for testosterone biosynthesis [1]. Also, oral administration of deltamethrine for 65 consecutive days decreased the conception rate in nontreated females (mated with treated male) [2]. Studies in our laboratory also found that fenvalerate could interrupt the steroid biosynthesis in male Sprague–Dawley rats [3]. To our knowledge, only a few studies have been conducted on the reproductive effects of fenvalerate on human beings [4]. Therefore, in this study, we selected pesticide plant workers who were exposed to fenvalerate as the target population. The reproductive toxicity induced by fenvalerate in male workers was evaluated through semen-quality analysis.
Section snippets
Study population
The pesticide factory, which is located in a suburb of a city in southeast China, has been in operation since the 1970s. The factory is divided into two areas: production area and office area. A total of 100 male participants, ages between 21 and 42 years, were selected for the study and donated semen samples. Thirty-two of them were fenvalerate-exposed workers in the pesticide plant, and 46 men from the office area of the same factory served as the internal controls. Twenty-two men who were
Exposure measurement
As shown in Table 1, the concentrations of fenvalerate in the ambient air in the exposure areas were markedly higher than those in the internal control and external control areas. No significant difference was found in related solvents, such as toluene and xylene, in the studied areas. These solvents may also act as reproductive toxicants. To further evaluate exposure quantity, we measured the individual cumulative exposure quantity in one shift. The ranges of fenvalerate concentration in
Discussion
The question of a possible decline in semen quality has been widely studied. With increased awareness, there has been a parallel increased concern at all levels of society that exposure to environmental contaminants, especially environmental endocrine disrupters (EEDs), can have adverse effects on human fertility. Indeed, there is a perception that the prevalence of human infertility is increasing. Several kinds of pesticides, including pyrethroids, have been identified as EEDs. It has been
Acknowledgments
This project was supported by Jiangsu Science and Technology Office (No. BS2002010). The authors thank Mr. Wang Xinru for technical assistance.
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