SEMEN ANALYSIS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL ASSOCIATED WITH MILITARY DUTY ASSIGNMENTS

A collaborative study between the U.S. Army Biomedical Research and De velopment Laboratory (USABRDL) and the National Institute for Occupati onal Safety and Health (NIOSH) was designed to assess fecundity of mal e artillery soldiers with potential exposures to airborne lead aerosol s, Potential exposure assess ment was based upon information provided in an interactive questionnaire, It became apparent from extensive que stionnaire data that many soldiers in the initial control population h ad potentially experienced microwave exposure as radar equipment opera tors, As a result, a third group of soldiers without potential for lea d or microwave exposures, but with similar environmental conditions, w as selected as a comparison population, Blood hormone levels and semen analyses were conducted on artillerymen (n = 30), radar equipment ope rators (n = 20), and the comparison group (n = 31), Analysis of the qu estionnaire information revealed that concern about fertility problems motivated participation of some soldiers with potential artillery or microwave exposures. Although small study population size and the conf ounding variable of perceived infertility limit the reliability of the study, several statistically significant findings were identified, Ar tillerymen who perceived a possible fertility concern demonstrated low er sperm counts/ejaculate (P = 0.067) and lower sperm/mL (P = 0.014) t han the comparison group, The group of men with potential microwave ex posures demonstrated lower sperm counts/mL (P = 0.009) and sperm/ejacu late (P = 0.027) than the comparison group, Variables used to assess e ndocrine, accessory sex gland, and sperm cell function were not differ ent than the comparison group, Additional studies, incorporating large r numbers of individuals, should be performed in order to more optimal ly characterize potential lead and microwave exposure effects on male fecundity.