Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls as Potential Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction

While it is biologically plausible that environmental chemicals such as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with suspected hormone disrupting properties may have an impact on risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), few epidemiologic studies have assessed this potential association. In a clini...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of andrology 2007-01, Vol.28 (1), p.28-37
Main Authors: Polsky, Jane Y, Aronson, Kristan J, Heaton, Jeremy P. W, Adams, Michael A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological and medical sciences
Case-Control Studies
environment
epidemiology
Erectile Dysfunction - chemically induced
Erectile function
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Male
Male genital diseases
Mammalian male genital system
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
organochlorines
Pesticides - blood
Pesticides - toxicity
plasma
Polychlorinated Biphenyls - blood
Polychlorinated Biphenyls - toxicity
Risk Assessment
Vertebrates: reproduction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:While it is biologically plausible that environmental chemicals such as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with suspected hormone disrupting properties may have an impact on risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), few epidemiologic studies have assessed this potential association. In a clinic‐based case‐control study in Kingston, Ontario, consenting subjects completed a questionnaire and donated 15 mL of blood for analysis of organochlorines and lipids by gas chromatography. Exposures were compared for 101 cases with ED and 234 comparable control subjects. For most PCB congeners and organochlorine pesticides, geometric mean levels are similar for cases and controls. Multivariate logistic regression results do not show an increased or decreased risk of ED associated with levels of most detectable environmental substances after adjustment for age, total lipids, and confounders. Levels of 2 of the ubiquitous chlorinated pesticides, oxychlordane and trans‐nonachlor, which are highly correlated, appear to associate with a reduced risk of ED, but the role of chance cannot be ruled out. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the possible relationship between plasma levels of organochlorines and ED risk, and results do not provide evidence of an association.
ISSN:0196-3635
1939-4640
DOI:10.2164/jandrol.106.000851