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While all links worked when entries were posted to the database, different publishers
have different policies about retaining articles and providing access to archived material.
Thus some of the links, particularly older ones, may no longer be functional.
For links no longer working, you may be able to gain paid access to text via the publisher's site.
Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals can lead to obesity later in life.
Mice exposed to the potent estrogen, DES, in the womb were developmentally programmed to gain weight as they aged. Obesity has been associated with infertility. Obesity is an emerging area of research in the field of endocrine disruption. Reproductive Toxicology. 15 April 2007. More...
Science Byte: Anglers who eat fish caught in the lower Hudson River had blood mercury levels almost twice as high as those who never ate local fish.
People eating local fish more than once a week had higher levels than those who ate them less frequently. Environmental Research. 5 November 2005. More...
Science Byte: An mathematical analysis of data from 32 studies contradicts a long-standing assumption in toxicology-- that there will be a safety threshold for endocrine disrupting chemicals beneath which exposure is safe.
This assumption is used to justify not testing the impacts of low doses. Yet the analysis shows that even very low doses will cause effects by interacting with endogenous hormones, when the contaminants are working through the same mechanism. Environmental Research. 5 November 2005. More...
A study of Chinese women finds no association between serum DDE levels and menstrual cycle characteristics.
High DDE concentrations were associated with a non-statistically significant lengthening of the menstrual cycle. This conflicts with previous studies in Laotian women who were found to have decreased menstrual cycle length with increased levels of DDT and DDE. These conflicting results may be due to differences in study design or the study population. Environmental Research 1 November 2005. More...
A study of infertile men with abnormal semen analyses reveals a 20-fold greater incidence of testicular cancer compared to the general population.
These findings are consistent with the theory of testicular dysgenesis syndrome. This theory proposes that four male reproductive maladies - testicular cancer, hypospadias, cryptorchidism and poor sperm quality - are all part of the same syndrome, with many cases due to environmental causes. Journal of Urology 1 November 2005. More...
A case-control study of women in Belgium finds an association between increased PCDD/PCDF and PCB body burden and endometriosis.
Serum concentrations of dioxin (PCDD), furan (PCDF) and dioxin-like PCBs were measured and standardized to toxic equivalent factors. Women with endometriosis had higher mean TEQ levels than controls. The risk of endometriosis increased 3 fold for each 10 pg increase in TEQ levels/g lipids. Fertility and Sterility 1 August 2005. More...
A prospective cohort study of a multi-ethnic population in northern Manhattan finds exposures to environmental contaminants interferes with fetal growth.
Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke had smaller babies with lower birth weight and decreased head circumferences. Cord blood levels of the pesticide, chlorpyrifos, was associated with decreased birth weight and body length. Neurotoxicology. 1 August 2005. More...
A study of normal Swedish men finds no association between phthalate levels and semen quality.
Mono ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono ethylhexyl phthaltale (MEHP), mono benzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono butyl phthalate (MBP), and phthalic acid were not found to significantly affect semen quality or hormone levels. These findings are in contrast to studies in the US which did find associations. Epidemiology 1 July 2005. More...
In a study of Columbian women, work in flower production and tobacco exposure are associated with lower fertility rates.
Pregnancy rates were 25% lower in women who smoked or who had worked in floriculture for more than 2 years. Presumably, flower production workers are expose to a number of different kinds of pesticides. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 1 July 2005. More...
Scientists studying trends of fertility over past 50 years conclude it is impossible to identify declines because of changes in social factors that affect the rate and fate of unintended pregnancies.
These biases may explain the conflicting reports in the literature. Except in rare settings in which the factors affecting reproductive choices have not changed, it is probably impossible to identify biologic changes in fertility over recent decades. Epidemiology 1 July 2005. More...
In a study of infertile Japanese women, serum levels of organochlorines were not associated with endometriosis.
A few animal studies and some human epidemiological studies have found an association between organochlorines and endometriosis. This study did not find an association. Conflicting results may be a result of study design as well as differences in the mechanism of endocrine disruption in different organochlorines. Environmental Research 25 June 2005. More...
A review and analysis of the literature on the strength of evidence on exposures to environmental estrogens and male reproductive health.
This study summarizes the relevant supporting evidence and current knowledge, identifies gaps and limitations in the interpretation of published data, and defines future research directions. The results do not support with certainty the view that environmental estrogens contribute to an increase in male reproductive disorders, neither do they provide sufficient grounds to reject such a hypothesis. The optimal information regarding harmful effects of xenoestrogens in humans should come from longitudinal epidemiologic studies. Reproductive Toxicology 31 May 2005. More...
Prenatal estrogen exposure is associated with the development of uterine fibroids, benign tumors of the uterus.
Women exposed to DES prenatally were found to have approximately a 25% higher incidence of uterine fibroids than women who were not exposed. Women exposed to DES also tended to have larger fibroids than women who were not exposed. Reproductive Toxicology. 18 May 2005. More...
Research from the US EPA finds women who eat contaminated sport fish during pregnancy are more likely to have a male baby with a birth defect.
For New York women who at 2 or more meals per month of sport caught fish there was a non-significant increase in the rate of a major birth defects. However, when analyzed by sex, the risk was significantly elevated 3-fold for male compared to female newborns. Exposure to endocrine disruptors or other environmental contaminants may explain these sex differences. Environmental Research 1 February 2005. More...
A recent review highlights emerging mechanisms of endocrine disruption.
At least two mechanism of endocrine disruption are not mediated via steroid receptors; firstly, the suppression of fetal testosterone synthesis in rodents by in utero exposure to phthalates; and secondly, the ability of several chemicals to interfere with steroid metabolism by inhibiting estrogen sulfotransferases. Toxicology. 1 December 2004. More...
In a study of Croatian males, exposure to the heavy metal cadmium was associated with changes in hormone levels and testis size.
Blood cadmium was significantly associated with a decrease in testis size and an increase in serum estradiol, FSH, and testosterone. Smokers had nearly 5-fold higher cadmium levels compared to non-smokers. Biometals 1 December 2004. More...
Across the developed world, birth rates are plummeting. Is this just a social phenomenon, or is our biological fertility also declining?
Declining birth rates may be in part due to demographic changes with couples choosing to have fewer children, or none at all. But might something more sinister be going on, such as environmental pollution or sexually transmitted diseases causing a decline in male or female fertility? It turns out studying fertility is not an easy task. Nature 1 November 2004. More...
A review of the scientific literature finds many different types of chemicals are implicated as being female reproductive toxins.
Many chemicals present in the environment or workplace can mimic endogenous hormones or alter hormonal levels and activity, thereby representing a hazard to the development of the reproductive system. Dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, DES and plant-estrogens have been shown to have these effects in animal studies but the evidence in human studies has been conflicting. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 15 July 2004. More...
In a study of Mexican farmworkers, mothers with evidence of significant pesticide exposure had babies with delayed growth.
Mothers who had a 20% decrease in an enzyme inhibited by pesticides were more than twice as likely to have small babies. The conflicting between this study and a study of US farmworkers may be due to study design or exposures to different pesticide. Chemosphere 1 June 2004. More...
In a case-control study, organophosphorous (OP) pesticide exposure alters sperm chromatin structure in Mexican agricultural workers.
In men exposed to OP pesticides, about 75% of the semen samples had poor fertility potential because of DNA fragmentation. This suggests that OP exposure alters sperm chromatin condensation, which could be reflected in an increased number of cells with greater susceptibility to DNA denaturation. Toxicology and applied pharmacology. 1 April 2004. More...
A case-control study of stillbirths in eastern Canada finds strong association with exposure to chlorination by-products in drinking water.
Women with a residential total THM level of 80 or more microg/L had twice the risk of a stillbirth compared with women with no exposure to THMs. A clear dose-reponse relationship was not founds. Epidemiology 1 March 2004. More...
Women exposed to high levels of methylmercury in Minamata, Japan had an increased rate of abnormal pregnancies.
Women who reached reproductive age during the period of severe contamination between 1956-1968 had significantly more stillbirths and spontaneous abortions than women of similar ages who were not exposed. Furthermore, when compared to the pregnancy loss rates prior to the contamination the incidence was over 2.5 times greater. Environmental sciences 1 February 2004. More...
A case-control study of Japanese women with recurrent miscarriage finds no association with exposure to organochlorines.
There was no difference in blood levels of PCBs or the pesticides DDT/DDE or hexachlorobenzene. There also were no changes in levels of thyroid or progesterone hormone, auto-antibodies or other immune molecules. These results contrast with other studies that have found an association with miscarriage. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology 1 December 2003. More...
In a study done by the State of Califonia, chlorination by-products in drinking water are associated with decreases in normal sperm.
A the highest level of ingestion, there was a 7% decrease in the number of properly shaped sperm. Motility was also shown to decrease with expoure to the individual THM, bromodichloromethane. Epidemiology 1 November 2003. More...
A review summarizing the evidence linking environmental toxicant exposure and infertility finds some biological plausibility for this association.
While the epidemiological evidence is equivocal, animal studies provide biological plausibility for a potential association between environmental toxicant exposures and altered reproductive function. Furthermore, cell and organ culture experiments illustrate potential mechanisms of toxicant action on the reproductive system. Minerva ginecologica 1 October 2003. More...
An unexpectedly high number of sperm donors have high levels of lead in their semen which affects artificial insemination outcomes.
Lead levels greater than 42 microg/dL were found in 40% of subjects in this small study. Elevated lead levels was associated with poor semen quality and failed articficial inseminations. These donors were not occupationally exposed to lead and the cause of high lead levels is unknown. Fertility and Sterility 1 September 2003. More...
Taiwanese men exposed to cooking oil contaminated with PCBs and PCDFs have abnormal sperm 20 years after exposure.
Males exposed as adults to high levels of PCBs and PCDFs have a higher percentage of oligospermia and abnormal morphology than unexposed men. Sperm from exposed men were 50% less likely to fertilize an egg. Sperm findings in this study were similar to the second-generation young men prenatally exposed to PCBs/PCDFs. Journal of the American Medical Assoication. 11 June 2003. More...
In studies on rats, exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) creates free radicals and damages sperm.
Exposure to BPA in ppm doses caused a reduction in the epididymal sperm motility and sperm count in a dose-dependent manner. Indicators also showed a depletion of the antioxidant defense system suggesting the adverse effects of BPA on male reproduction may be due to an induction of oxidative stress in sperm. Toxicology 14 March 2003. More...
Occupational exposures to pesticides in Poland is linked to low birth weight and preterm birth.
Mothers exposed to pesticides, on average delivered half a week earlier than those non-exposed. Infants born to pesticide exposed mothers weighted about 100 g less than infants of the non-exposed women. International Journal Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. 3 March 2003. More...
Pregnant women exposed to organochlorine pesticides in Mexico may be at an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
There was a suggested but non-significant increased risk of preterm birth in women exposed to DDT and hexachlorocyclohexane. Both pesticides have been banned in many countries but continue to be used for insect control in some countries. Annals of Epidemiology 1 March 2003. More...
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