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Boron-exposed male workers in Turkey: no change in sperm Y:X chromosome ratio and in offspring’s sex ratio

  • Reproductive Toxicology
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Abstract

Boron-associated shifts in sex ratios at birth were suggested earlier and attributed to a decrease in Y- vs. X-bearing sperm cells. As the matter is pivotal in the discussion of reproductive toxicity of boron/borates, re-investigation in a highly borate-exposed population was required. In the present study, 304 male workers in Bandirma and Bigadic (Turkey) with different degrees of occupational and environmental exposure to boron were investigated. Boron was quantified in blood, urine and semen, and the persons were allocated to exposure groups along B blood levels. In the highest (“extreme”) exposure group (n = 69), calculated mean daily boron exposures, semen boron and blood boron concentrations were 44.91 ± 18.32 mg B/day, 1643.23 ± 965.44 ng B/g semen and 553.83 ± 149.52 ng B/g blood, respectively. Overall, an association between boron exposure and Y:X sperm ratios in semen was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Also, the mean Y:X sperm ratios in semen samples of workers allocated to the different exposure groups were statistically not different in pairwise comparisons (p > 0.05). Additionally, a boron-associated shift in sex ratio at birth towards female offspring was not visible. In essence, the present results do not support an association between boron exposure and decreased Y:X sperm ratio in males, even under extreme boron exposure conditions.

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Acknowledgements

The semen samples used in this study were sampled within the scope of the “Boron Project I” (2008–2010) and the “Boron Project II” (2014–2017). The “Boron Project I” was funded by Eti Mine Works General Management and BOREN (2008-G0207). The “Boron Project II” was funded by Eti Mine Works General Management (2014–2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology, Ankara University, Tandoğan, 06100, Ankara, Turkey

    Yalçın Duydu, Can Özgür Yalçın & Aylin Üstündağ

  2. Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology, Hacettepe University, Sıhhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey

    Nurşen Başaran, Sevtap Aydın, Hatice Gül Anlar & Merve Bacanlı

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Urology, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Kaan Aydos

  4. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Cem Somer Atabekoğlu

  5. Faculty of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, 44221, Dortmund, Germany

    Katja Ickstadt & Matthias Werner

  6. Institute of Nutritional Science, Department of Food Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558, Nuthetal, Germany

    Tanja Schwerdtle

  7. Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Ardey Str. 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany

    Klaus Golka & Hermann M. Bolt

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  1. Yalçın Duydu
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Correspondence to Yalçın Duydu.

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Conflict of interest

The project was funded by Eti Mine. Eti Mine had no influence on the conduct of the study and has not influenced the results and interpretation. Thus, the authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Duydu, Y., Başaran, N., Yalçın, C.Ö. et al. Boron-exposed male workers in Turkey: no change in sperm Y:X chromosome ratio and in offspring’s sex ratio. Arch Toxicol 93, 743–751 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02391-z

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