Primary infertility in nuclear industry employees: report from the nuclear industry family study
P Doylea, E Romanb, N Maconochiea, G Daviesa, P G Smitha, V Beralc
a London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, Keppel
Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK, b Leukaemia
Research Fund, Institute of Epidemiology, University of Leeds, 30-32
Hyde Terrace, Leeds LS2 9LN, UK, c Imperial Cancer Research Fund, University
of Oxford, Gibson Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE,
UK
Correspondence to: Dr P Doyle p.doyle{at}lshtm.ac.uk
Accepted 17 April 2001
OBJECTIVE
To determine
whether men and women who are occupationally exposed to ionising
radiation are at increased risk of primary infertility.
METHODSA cross
sectional analysis of reproductive outcome was reported in an
occupational cohort of nuclear industry workers from the Atomic Energy
Authority, Atomic Weapons Establishment, and British Nuclear Fuels in
the United Kingdom. Data on employment and radiation monitoring
supplied by employers were linked to data obtained from self
administered questionnaires sent to all current employees and a sample
of past workers. A total of 5353 men and 603 women aged 40 years or
more at the time of survey whose first pregnancy, or attempt at
pregnancy, had occurred after first employment in the nuclear industry
were recruited to the study. Primary infertility was defined as
consultation with a doctor about the failure to achieve at least one
viable (24 weeks gestational age or more) pregnancy.
RESULTS2.6% Of men
and 3.7% of women reported primary infertility. For men, this
proportion did not differ by amount of radiation monitored or by dose
received. The prevalence of infertility was higher among monitored
women than non-monitored women, but not significantly so and the
numbers were too small to draw any firm conclusions.
CONCLUSIONSNo support
was found for a hypothesis linking exposure to low level ionising
radiation among men with primary infertility. There was weak evidence
of an association in women, but the relatively few monitored women
prevented detailed examination of these data.
Keywords: infertility; nuclear industry
© 2001 by Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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