Overview
Han and co-authors reviewed the impact of environmental endocrine disruptors (EDCs), including cadmium, lead, arsenic, manganese, and mercury, on male reproductive health. The review covers disruption of sperm quality, testicular function, and hormonal pathways. Cadmium is identified as the most potent reproductive EDC among the metals reviewed; its biological half-life of 20 to 30 years means exposures accumulate over a lifetime. This is a mechanism review without primary food concentration data.
Key findings
Cadmium compromises the blood-testis barrier and reduces sperm count and motility. Lead at blood concentrations of 10 micrograms/dL or above is associated with sperm DNA damage in cited occupational studies; seminal lead reported at 3.2 plus or minus 0.8 micrograms/dL in exposed populations. Arsenic disrupts steroidogenesis in Leydig cells. Mercury causes oxidative damage in spermatogenic cells. Cadmium is identified as the most potent reproductive EDC among the metals reviewed.
A 2023 survey of 500 baby bottles found BPA migration up to 0.75 micrograms/L, with 15% of samples exceeding safety thresholds. This is cited as context for food packaging contribution to EDC exposure, not as a heavy metal measurement.
Methods (brief)
Narrative review. No primary experiment. Evidence class: mechanistic review relevant to toxicology sections of metal pages; no food occurrence data applicable to contamination profiling.
Evidence fitness
Supports: mechanistic context for cadmium, lead, arsenic, mercury, and manganese as reproductive EDCs; relevant to the toxicology sections of metal pages. Does not support: food occurrence values or regulatory limit derivation.
Related evidence
Update history
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