iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.
iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.



Link to original content: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149027
Can environmental or occupational hazards alter the sex ratio at birth? A systematic review - PubMed Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Apr 20:4:7109.
doi: 10.3402/ehtj.v4i0.7109.

Can environmental or occupational hazards alter the sex ratio at birth? A systematic review

Metrecia L Terrell  1 , Kathleen P Hartnett, Michele Marcus
Affiliations

Can environmental or occupational hazards alter the sex ratio at birth? A systematic review

Metrecia L Terrell et al. Emerg Health Threats J. .

Abstract

More than 100 studies have examined whether environmental or occupational exposures of parents affect the sex ratio of their offspring at birth. For this review, we searched Medline and Web of Science using the terms 'sex ratio at birth' and 'sex ratio and exposure' for all dates, and reviewed bibliographies of relevant studies to find additional articles. This review focuses on exposures that have been the subject of at least four studies including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, pesticides, lead and other metals, radiation, boron, and g-forces. For paternal exposures, only dioxins and PCBs were consistently associated with sex ratios higher or lower than the expected 1.06. Dioxins were associated with a decreased proportion of male births, whereas PCBs were associated with an increased proportion of male births. There was limited evidence for a decrease in the proportion of male births after paternal exposure to DBCP, lead, methylmercury, non-ionizing radiation, ionizing radiation treatment for childhood cancer, boron, or g-forces. Few studies have found higher or lower sex ratios associated with maternal exposures. Studies in humans and animals have found a reduction in the number of male births associated with lower male fertility, but the mechanism by which environmental hazards might change the sex ratio has not yet been established.

Keywords: PCBs; boron; dioxins; environmental; g-forces; metals; occupational; pesticides; radiation; sex ratio.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Article search criteria for sex ratio literature review.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(A) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of dioxin exposures: paternal (•), maternal (▴), or both (▪). (B) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of PCB exposures: paternal (•), maternal (▴), or both (▪). (C) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of pesticide exposures: paternal (•) or maternal (▴). (D) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of metal exposures: paternal (•), maternal (▴), or both (▪). (E) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of non-ionizing radiation exposures: paternal (•) or maternal (▴). (F) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of ionizing radiation exposures: paternal (•) or maternal (▴).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(A) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of dioxin exposures: paternal (•), maternal (▴), or both (▪). (B) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of PCB exposures: paternal (•), maternal (▴), or both (▪). (C) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of pesticide exposures: paternal (•) or maternal (▴). (D) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of metal exposures: paternal (•), maternal (▴), or both (▪). (E) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of non-ionizing radiation exposures: paternal (•) or maternal (▴). (F) The sex ratio and 95% confidence intervals from studies of ionizing radiation exposures: paternal (•) or maternal (▴).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Marcus M, Kiely J, Xu F, McGeehin M, Jackson R, Sinks T. Changing sex ratio in the United States, 1969–1995. Fertil Steril. 1998;70:270–3. - PubMed
    1. Mathews TJ, Hamilton BE. Trend analysis of the sex ratio at birth in the United States. Natl Health Stat Report. 2005;53:1–17. - PubMed
    1. Agresti A, Coull BA. Approximate is better than ‘exact’ for interval estimation of binomial proportions. Am Statistician. 1998;52:119–26.
    1. Vollset SE. Confidence intervals for a binomial proportion. Stat Med. 1993;12:809–24. - PubMed
    1. Chang BL, Robbins WA, Wei F, Xun L, Wu G, Li N, et al. Boron workers in China: Exploring work and lifestyle factors related to boron exposure. AAOHN J. 2006;54:435–43. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources