TY - JOUR
T1 - What should it take to describe a substance or product as 'sperm-safe'
AU - Mortimer, David
AU - Barratt, Christopher L R
AU - Björndahl, Lars
AU - de Jager, Christiaan
AU - Jequier, Anne M
AU - Muller, Charles H
N1 - Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Male reproductive potential continues to be adversely affected by many environmental, industrial and pharmaceutical toxins. Pre-emptive testing for reproductive toxicological (side-)effects remains limited, or even non-existent. Many products that come into direct contact with spermatozoa lack adequate testing for the absence of adverse effects, and numerous products that are intended for exposure to spermatozoa have only a general assumption of safety based on the absence of evidence of actual harm. Such assumptions can have unfortunate adverse impacts on at-risk individuals (e.g. couples who are trying to conceive), illustrating a clear need for appropriate up-front testing to establish actual 'sperm safety'.METHODS: After compiling a list of general areas within the review's scope, relevant literature and other information was obtained from the authors' personal professional libraries and archives, and supplemented as necessary using PubMed and Google searches. Review by co-authors identified and eliminated errors of omission or bias.RESULTS: This review provides an overview of the broad range of substances, materials and products that can affect male fertility, especially through sperm fertilizing ability, along with a discussion of practical methods and bioassays for their evaluation. It is concluded that products can only be claimed to be 'sperm-safe' after performing objective, properly designed experimental studies; extrapolation from supposed predicate products or other assumptions cannot be trusted.CONCLUSIONS: We call for adopting the precautionary principle, especially when exposure to a product might affect not only a couple's fertility potential but also the health of resulting offspring and perhaps future generations.
AB - BACKGROUND: Male reproductive potential continues to be adversely affected by many environmental, industrial and pharmaceutical toxins. Pre-emptive testing for reproductive toxicological (side-)effects remains limited, or even non-existent. Many products that come into direct contact with spermatozoa lack adequate testing for the absence of adverse effects, and numerous products that are intended for exposure to spermatozoa have only a general assumption of safety based on the absence of evidence of actual harm. Such assumptions can have unfortunate adverse impacts on at-risk individuals (e.g. couples who are trying to conceive), illustrating a clear need for appropriate up-front testing to establish actual 'sperm safety'.METHODS: After compiling a list of general areas within the review's scope, relevant literature and other information was obtained from the authors' personal professional libraries and archives, and supplemented as necessary using PubMed and Google searches. Review by co-authors identified and eliminated errors of omission or bias.RESULTS: This review provides an overview of the broad range of substances, materials and products that can affect male fertility, especially through sperm fertilizing ability, along with a discussion of practical methods and bioassays for their evaluation. It is concluded that products can only be claimed to be 'sperm-safe' after performing objective, properly designed experimental studies; extrapolation from supposed predicate products or other assumptions cannot be trusted.CONCLUSIONS: We call for adopting the precautionary principle, especially when exposure to a product might affect not only a couple's fertility potential but also the health of resulting offspring and perhaps future generations.
KW - Environmental Exposure
KW - Environmental Pollutants/toxicity
KW - Fertility/drug effects
KW - Humans
KW - Infertility, Male/chemically induced
KW - Male
KW - Safety
KW - Sperm Count
KW - Sperm Motility/drug effects
KW - Spermatozoa/cytology
KW - Toxicity Tests
KW - Xenobiotics/toxicity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875766124&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/humupd/dmt008
DO - 10.1093/humupd/dmt008
M3 - Article
C2 - 23552271
AN - SCOPUS:84875766124
SN - 1355-4786
VL - 19
SP - i1-i45
JO - Human Reproduction Update
JF - Human Reproduction Update
IS - SUPPL1
ER -