title: Reduced seminal parameters associated with environmental DDT exposure and p,p'-DDE concentrations in men in Chiapas, Mexico: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: In response to mounting concerns about the endocrine-disrupting influence of environmental chemicals on human health, this epidemiological study was initiated to test the hypothesis that nonoccupational exposure to the estrogenic pesticide 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(chlorodiphenyl)ethane (DDT) affects male reproductive parameters. One hundred and sixteen men aged 27 years (SD = 8.2) living in malaria endemic-areas in Chiapas (Mexico), where DDT was sprayed until 2000, participated in a cross-sectional study. Semen analyses were conducted according to World Health Organization methods and a quality control program was followed. DDT exposure was defined as the level of blood plasma p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE), the major metabolite of DDT. The p,p'-DDE concentration adjusted for total lipids was 100 times higher than that reported for nonexposed populations at 45 plus or minus 32 mug/g (mean +/- SD). Crude regression analysis showed that several sperm motion parameters, including the percentage of motile sperm, decreased with higher p,p'-DDE concentrations (beta = -8.38; P = .05 for squared motility), and the percentage of sperm with morphological tail defects increased with higher plasma p,p'-DDE concentration (beta = 0.003; P = .017). Insufficient sperm chromatin condensation was observed in 46.6% of participants, and the most severe category of incomplete DNA condensation was also positively correlated with p,p'-DDE concentration (r = .223; P = .044). Therefore, nonoccupational exposure to DDT, as assessed by plasma p,p'-DDE concentrations, is associated with poorer semen parameters in men, indicating adverse effects on testicular function and/or the regulation of reproductive hormones. Previously, a causal role of environmental toxicants in human male infertility has been lacking because observed effects have been the result of unusually high exposures, either occupationally or as a result of industrial accidents, resulting in unprecedented controversy (reviewed by Cheek & McLachlan, Environmental hormones and the male reproductive system. J Androl. 1998;19:5). This is the first epidemiological study demonstrating effects after nonoccupational exposures to DDT. Based on these findings, the effect of DDT on male reproductive health should not be ignored.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Biologie de la Reproduction, Département des Sciences Animales, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Christiaan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Jager
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Albino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barraza-Villarreal
authors.forename: Mauricio Hernandez
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayotte
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dewailly
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dombrowski
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: Vicente Diaz
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Janice L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003634:DDT / Q000633:toxicity*; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000633:toxicity*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D012661:Semen / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D003634:DDT