International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 26, 1281-1288, Copyright © 1997 by International Epidemiological Association
JP Bonde and H Kolstad
BACKGROUND: Inorganic lead may impair male fecundity through its action on
the germinal epithelium, the endocrine system or both, but information on
possible impact on fertility in exposed populations is limited. METHODS:
Fertility was examined in 1349 male battery plant employees and in 9596
reference company employees over a follow-up of 25,949 and 183,414 person
years respectively. The cohorts were identified by records in a national
pension fund and information on births was obtained from the Danish
Population Register. In a subset of the battery worker cohort, the average
level of lead in blood was 35.9 micrograms/dl (4639 blood samples on 1654
person years in 400 workers; SD 13.0; range 3-125). The birth rate was
analysed by logistic regression on occupational exposure and several
extraneous determinants (age, parity, calendar year, and previous
children). RESULTS: The birth- rate was not reduced in years at risk from
exposure to lead in comparison with years not-at-risk; either in comparison
with not-at- risk years within the battery plant cohort (odds ratio [OR] =
0.997, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88-1.13), or in comparison with the
external reference population (OR = 0.983, 95% CI: 0.87-1.11). CONCLUSIONS:
Inorganic lead seems not to impair fertility among Danish battery workers.
This finding does not rule out that the time taken to achieve a pregnancy
is increased among battery workers because most pregnancies in Denmark are
planned.
ARTICLES
Fertility of Danish battery workers exposed to lead
Department of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark.
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