
1. Adv Contracept Deliv Syst. 1986 Jun;2(2-3):208-10.

Effect of lead on human semen.

Chowdhury AR, Chinoy NJ, Gautam AK, Rao RV, Parikh DJ, Shah GM, Highland HN,
Patel KG, Chatterjee BB.

Semen qualities were studied in workers with an average age of 30 years and
occupationally exposed to lead in a printing press. Another sample with the same 
average age but not exposed to lead were taken as control subjects. The average
lead content in blood and seminal plasma of the exposed group were 42.5 mcg/100
ml and 14.80 mcg/100 ml, respectively. Their sperm counts and percentage of
motile sperm were significantly affected. Significantly higher percentages of
abnormal spermatozoa were also observed in these semen samples. The levels of
seminal acid phosphatase, succinic dehydrogenase, and fructose in them were also 
significantly found to be low compared with those from the unexposed subjects.
Cytochemical study of sperm head DNA in the exposed groups showed a low surface
reaction.


PMID: 12280508  [Indexed for MEDLINE]

