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17 June 2003
Low Sperm Count, Quality in Rural Areas Tied to Herbicides, Pesticides
University of Missouri-Columbia Researcher Calling for Water
Testing, Safer Alternatives
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Following an earlier study that found
that men in rural mid-Missouri had lower sperm counts and quality
than their peers in urban centers, a University of Missouri-Columbia
researcher has identified and linked three agricultural chemicals
to the problem.
In November 2002, Shanna Swan, a professor of family and community
medicine at the university, announced findings suggesting that fertile
men in more rural areas have lower sperm counts and less vigorous
sperm than men in urban areas. Through her most recent study, published
today in the online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental
Health Perspectives (EHP), Swan confirmed that men with lower sperm
counts and quality had higher concentrations of alachlor, diazinon,
and atrazine metabolites in their urine than men with higher-quality
sperm. These three chemicals are commonly used in agriculture operations
throughout the Midwest.
Swan’s study compared pesticide exposure in two groups: men
with low sperm concentration and quality, and men with better semen
quality. Although men were drawn from both mid-Missouri (a mostly
rural area) and Minneapolis, Minnesota (a highly urban setting), links
between pesticides and semen quality were detected only in Missouri
men. Swan obtained urine samples from both groups and tested them
for 15 currently used pesticides. Samples from Missouri men with poor
semen quality contained significantly higher concentrations of alachlor,
atrazine, and diazinon metabolites than samples from men with higher-quality
sperm. For example, men with high levels of alachlor were 30 times
more likely to have poor semen quality than men with low levels. Swan
found no correlation between semen quality and pesticides used primarily
in the home, such as DEET.
“This is the first study that shows a link between elevated
levels of these pesticides in the human body and potential reproductive
problems,” Swan said. “Since our subjects include a cross-section
of men in mid-Missouri, rather than mostly farmers, the pesticide
levels we found probably represent the exposure of the general population.”
According to a 1995 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey, these pesticides
were found in groundwater supplies in rural areas in the Midwest at
concentrations exceeding federal reporting levels. In addition, the
agency stated that conventional water treatment is ineffective in
removing herbicides such as alachlor and atrazine from finished drinking
water. Unlike many other contaminants, those herbicides remain in
the water following conventional treatment processes such as coagulation
and sand filtration.
“We think it is likely that men are ingesting these chemicals
through their drinking water,” Swan said. “Some water
filters do claim to rid the system of these chemicals. We need to
analyze men’s home tap water and examine alternative water treatment
methods to determine levels of these chemicals currently in the water
supply and to find effective ways to remove them.”
Swan also said that although researchers should examine the water
supply and seek methods of removing the pesticides, safer alternatives
to these chemicals need to be found. Because women and children are
likely to be exposed to these pesticides as well, additional studies
examining the impact of these pesticides on the health of the entire
family are needed, Swan said.
EHP is the journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
More information is available online at http://www.ehponline.org/.
