Semen quality in Peruvian pesticide applicators: association between urinary organophosphate metabolites and semen parameters.
Organophosphates are broad class of chemicals widely used as pesticides throughout the world. We performed a cross-sectional study of associations between dialkylphosphate metabolites of organophosphates and seminal quality among Peruvian pesticide applicators of organophosphates pesticide from Majes (Arequipa), Peru.
Methods: 31 men exposed to organophosphate (OPs) pesticides and 31 non-exposed were recruited (age 20-60 years). In exposed subjects, semen and a blood sample were obtained one day after the last pesticide application.
Subjects were grouped according levels of OP metabolites in urine. Semen samples were analyzed for sperm concentration, percentage of sperm motility, percentage of normal morphology, semen leucocytes and measurements of fructose and zinc concentrations.
Exposure to OPs was assessed by measuring six urinary OPs metabolites (DMP, DMTP, DMDTP, DEP, DETP, and DEDTP) by gas chromatography using a single flame photometric detector.
Results: DEDTP (p=0.04) and DETP (p=0.02) were more related to occupational exposure than other OP metabolites. Semen analysis revealed a significant increase in seminal pH in men with OP metabolites.
Multiple regression analysis showed that both occupational exposure to pesticides and time of exposure to pesticides were more related to alteration in several seminal parameters than measurement of OP metabolites in urine.
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that occupational exposure to OP pesticides was more closely related to seminal pH alterations than a single measurement of urine OP metabolites. Current measurement of OP metabolites in urine may not reflect the full risk.
Author: Sandra Yucra, Manuel Gasco, Julio Rubio and Gustavo F Gonzales
Credits/Source: Environmental Health 2008, 7:59
Published on: 2008-11-17
Copyright by the authors listed above - made available via BioMedCentral (Open Access). Please
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