ABSTRACT
Numerous epidemiological studies in recent decades have documented a decline in male fertility. Many of these studies propose a link between the deterioration in fertility with growing exposure to environmental toxins such as antiandrogenic pesticides and fungicides (e.g., DDT and vinclozolin), plasticizers (e.g., bisphenol-A and dibutyl phthalate), water disinfection by-products (e.g., dibromoacetic acid), heavy metals (e.g., lead, cadmium, and mercury), and common industrial contaminants in drinking water (e.g., benzene, phenol, and trichloroethylene). From a review of available literature, it is apparent that a variety of commonly used chemicals, now abundant in the environment, drinking water, and food chain, can have insidious and long-lasting effects on the male reproductive system.
