A cohort study of the effects of pentachlorophenol on male reproductive function

This study evaluated the reproductive function of men who manufactured the wood preservative pentachlorophenol (PCP).; The fertility of the exposed men was compared to that of unexposed male workers at the plant. The fertility of both groups of workers was assessed using the Standardized Fertility Ratio (SFR) analysis program developed by Dr. Richard Levine and co-workers at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology. Six study groups were evaluated, differentiated on the basis of the type of exposure (only exposed to PCP, or ever-exposed to PCP), source of data on children's date of birth (birth certificate or worker recall), and whether all exposed workers or only those with chloracne were included in the analyses.; At all parities, the fertility of workers exposed to PCP was reduced by 14 to 18 percent relative to the workers' pre-employment fertility. For PCP-exposed workers with chloracne, fertility was reduced by 30 percent relative to the workers' pre-employment fertility. These findings were all statistically significant ({dollar}alpha{dollar} = 0.10). When the analysis was limited to the parity experience greater than or equal to one, the fertility of the workers exposed to PCP was slightly greater than that of the workers' pre-employment fertility. For PCP-exposed workers with chloracne, fertility was reduced by 16 percent relative to the workers' pre-employment fertility. None of these findings were statistically significant ({dollar}alpha{dollar} = 0.10).; The live-birth sex ratio analysis of the offspring of all exposed workers indicated no statistically significant reduction in the proportion of boys conceived pre- or post-employment, compared to the expected proportion based on national vital statistics data. However, the proportion of sons conceived by exposed workers with chloracne after employment was reduced markedly, although not significantly. Among the unexposed workers, there was no reduction in the proportion of boys conceived pre-employment, but there was a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of boys conceived post-employment. This reduction appears to be due to older paternal age and higher maternal parity. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of boys conceived pre-employment between the exposed and unexposed workers.