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EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS (DBP) AND SEMEN QUALITY
Citation:
Morris, R A., A. F. Olshan, L. W. Lansdell, S C. Jeffay, L F. Strader, G R. Klinefelter, AND S P. Darney. EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS (DBP) AND SEMEN QUALITY. Presented at NIEHS/NTA Science and Career Fair, RTP, NC, May 10, 2002.
Description:
Epidemiologic Evaluation of the Potential Association between Exposure to Drinking Water Disinfection By-Products and Semen Quality
*Morris, R; +Olshan, A; +Lansdell, L; *Jeffay, S; *Strader, L; *Klinefelter, G; *Perreault, S.
* U.S. EPA/ORD/NHEERL/RTD/GEEBB, Research Triangle Park, NC.
+ University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
Although the chlorination of public drinking water supplies has provided substantial public health benefits, toxicity data regarding resultant disinfection by-products (DBPs) has raised new health concerns. Rodent toxicology studies have reported that halogenated acetic acid (HAA) DBPs, especially the brominated forms, are male reproductive toxicants with primary effects on spermatogenesis. These animal data suggest that men exposed to brominated DBPs at levels in drinking water might be at an increased risk for testicular toxicity that could affect sperm counts and/or sperm morphology. However, a possible association between DBPs and male reproductive toxicity has not been explored in human studies. Our proposed field studies of semen quality use a multidisciplinary approach that includes detailed exposure information, reproductive and health histories, and contemporary methods of semen analysis nested within an ongoing prospective cohort study of drinking water consumption and spontaneous abortion risk. The sampling strategy will include one group of men with exposure to high-brominated DBPs (Galveston,TX; n=120), one group with exposure to low-brominated, but high-chlorinated DBPs (Raleigh, NC; n=60), and one group with exposure to both low-brominated and chlorinated DBPs (Memphis, TN; n=60). More men are to be recruited from the high-brominated (Galveston, TX) site to permit exposure contrasts based on consumption patterns, without introducing confounding by geography. Men will be provided with a home semen-collection kit (developed for the EPA by Fertility Solutions, Inc.) that will be returned to the EPA laboratory for analysis of semen volume, sperm concentration, morphology, motility, maturity, and the EPA-patented sperm protein biomarker, SP22. Results from this study will indicate whether exposures to high environmental levels of DBPs are associated with decreases in semen quality. Also, this study design allows for evaluation of SP22 and semen quality endpoints at a variety of exposure levels. Finally, findings from this survey of men in three geographical areas can be used as groundwork for future studies of DBP-exposure risk. This abstract does not necessarily reflect EPA policy. Funded by CR 829327(AO)