Pesticide Exposure and Sperm Quality
In a recently released paper, three pesticides have been linked to low sperm count and weaker sperm. Although urine samples from
men in Minnesota and Missouri were analyzed, the only significant differences found were for men in Missouri. The pesticides include the herbicides atrazine and alachlor, and the insecticide diazinon. In one analysis, men with high levels of alachlor metabolites were found to be 30 times more likely to have poor semen quality than men with low levels of metabolites. A similar association could not be found for urban men or for pesticides used primarily in the home.
The study’s author stated that this was the first research that shows a link between elevated levels of these pesticides in the human body and potential reproductive problems. The researcher also stated that since the subjects were a cross section of men in mid-Missouri, rather than mostly farmers, the pesticide levels found are probably representative of exposure in the general population. The researcher believes this exposure is through drinking water, and that monitoring efforts would help define those sources which may be contributing to this exposure. Other reviewers pointed out that all men sampled were fertile, had recently fathered children, and that sperm quality was within the range considered normal. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 6/23/03 & CropLife America Spotlight, 6/20/03).
