Infertility linked to pesticide exposure

New evidence from Holland adds weight to the notion that many pesticides are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The European Commission should urgently publish data gaps for reproductive toxicology, in order to allay public interest concerns.

The high occupational exposure of men to pesticides may mean they have less chance of fathering children, according to research carried out in the Netherlands(1). The study examined 836 couples who sought fertility treatment. Fertilisation rates were significantly decreased for couples in which the father had exposure to pesticides—they were nearly four times less likely to have children.
    Exposure to other occupational hazards such as organic solvents, metal dust or welding fumes, or other factors such as smoking, alcohol or coffee drinking were not significantly associated with a decrease in fertilisation rate.
    Many pesticides have been linked with adverse effects on reproduction in animal studies, and with apparent declines in human male sperm count. These endocrine disrupting pesticides interfere with hormone systems. This new report follows previous research indicating that exposure to pesticides can also affect both male and female fertility and reproductive outcomes(2). The earlier research in the Netherlands has suggested that for the partners of men who are highly exposed to pesticides, time to pregnancy may be longer; and the sex ratio of the offspring can be different, so that more girls than boys may be born.
    This is one more indication that pesticides can have long term impacts on health. Even for some pesticides in common use there are concerns or data gaps on their potential reproductive effects.

Recommendations
The Pesticides Trust [now PAN UK] calls for research to identify which of the 850 pesticides on the European market could be linked to infertility, and the urgent publication by the European Commission of current data gaps for reproductive toxicology of the pesticides in use. Peter Beaumont, Development Director of the Pesticides Trust said: “We urgently need careful recording of which pesticides are used, together with increased health surveillance for users.”

1. E. Tielemans, R. van Kooij, E.R. te Velde, A. Burdorf, D. Heederik: Pesticide Exposure and decreased fertilisation rates in vitro, The Lancet, 7 August 1999, Vol. 254, 484-85. 
2. J.S. de Cock, Exposure to pesticides of fruit growers and effects on reproduction: an epidemiological approach, Wageningen Agricultural University, Netherlands, 1995.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No.45, September 2000, page 15]