Glycol ethers in paint harm male fertility - study

23 May 2008 16:18  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Men regularly exposed to paint containing glycol ethers are more prone to fertility problems, according to a British academic study released on Friday.

 

Men who work with glycol solvents, such as painters and decorators, are two-and-a-half times more likely to produce fewer motile sperm than men with normal exposure, it said.

 

“We know that certain glycol ethers can affect male fertility and the use of these has reduced over the past two decades. However our results suggest that they are still a workplace hazard and that further work is needed to reduce such exposure,” said Andy Pover, University of Manchester senior lecturer and joint-author of the study.

 

Sperm motility – the amount of movement of individual sperm – is an important factor in man’s ability to father a child.

 

The researchers concluded that, apart from glycol ether, there are few other workplace chemical threats to male fertility.

 

A joint project by the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester, the study examined over 2,000 men in 14 fertility clinics across the UK.

 

The study was funded by the British government and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic).

 

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By: Mark Watts
+44 20 8652 3214

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