ID Number		1638
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		RF exposure (occupational) to male workers and evaluation of infertility and birth defects.
Details		Births (n = 1,106,665) from the Norwiegan Birth Registry were evaluated for correlations between 24 categories of birth defects and paternal occupational exposure to RF. Fathers were classified into RF probably not exposed, possibly exposed, and probably exposed groups by occupation (e.g., probably exposed group included ship, plane, welding, telecomm workers, etc). The authors report a slight increase in preterm delivery with the probably exposed paternal group (OR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.15), but no increase in any of the birth defects evaluated. A statistically significant decrease in cleft lip (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.97) was observed. In the medium exposed group, an increased risk was observed for other defects (OR = 2.40; 95% CI 1.22-4.70), and a decreased risk for other syndromes (OR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.56-0.99) and upper gastrointestinal defects (OR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.40-0.93). The authors conclude that the observations can be explained by expected chance variation and that paternal RF exposure was not correlated with birth defects. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Irgens et al. 1999 (IEEE #6325): The objective of the study was to assess whether reduced semen quality in infertile couples is associated with occupational exposures known to be hazardous to fertility. Results of the first semen analysis were linked to occupational exposure data from a self-administered questionnaire. Reduced semen quality was found in men exposed to electromagnetic fields (odds ratio, 3.22; confidence interval, 1.46 to 7.09). A tendency toward reduced semen quality was seen in commuters (OR, 1.52; CI, 0.89 to 2.59), shift workers (OR, 1.46; CI, 0.89 to 2.40), and men exposed to heavy metals (OR, 1.47; CI, 0.76 to 2.87). In general, the impact of occupational exposure on semen quality in infertile couples in Norway seemed to be minor. However, occupational exposure mapping is still important in individual infertility investigations.
Findings		No Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		University Bergen, Norway
Funding Agency		Private/Instit.
Country		NORWAY
References		Mjoen, G et al. Eur J Epidemiol, (2006) 21:529-535 Irgens, A et al. J Occup Environ Med., (1999) 41:1116-1120
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