a fertility study of male employees engaged in the manufacture of glycerin

Introduction:
This text is a study on the fertility of male employees engaged in the production of chlorinated three-carbon compounds at Dow Chemical Company's Texas Division. The study compares the fertility status of male employees who were exposed to chlorinated three-carbon compounds with those who were not exposed. The study includes a reproductive medical history, hormone determinations, a physician's examination, and a semen analysis. The major study variables were sperm counts and percent normal sperm forms.

Key Points:

* The study found no detrimental effect on fertility from exposure to chlorinated three-carbon compounds at levels occurring in the specified work environment.
* animal experiments have indicated an anti-fertility effect of alpha and epichlorohydrin, but the study did not find similar effects in humans.
* The study group consisted of 64 males employed in the glycerine department, and the control group was composed of 63 male employees who had not engaged in the production or handling of chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds for at least five years prior to the study period.
* The study obtained data from a questionnaire, a physician's examination, blood samples for hormone analysis, and a semen analysis.
* The major study variables were sperm counts and percent normal sperm forms.
* Comparisons were made between the control and the study groups and within the study group for duration of exposure, strength of exposure, and a combination of the two.
* The study also compared specific chemical exposure subgroups within the study group.

Main Message:
The study found no evidence of a detrimental effect on fertility from exposure to chlorinated three-carbon compounds at levels occurring in the specified work environment. The study's findings suggest that human fertility is less sensitive to these chemicals than animal fertility. however, the study's limitations, such as the low participation rate of the exposed group and the lack of an estimate of within-individual variation, suggest that further research is needed to confirm these findings. Nonetheless, the study provides valuable information for regulators and employers regarding the potential reproductive risks associated with exposure to chlorinated three-carbon compounds.

Venable, J. R. “a Fertility Study of Male Employees Engaged in the Manufacture of Glycerin.” Journal of Occupational Medicine 22, no. 2 (1980): 87–91.