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The reproductive health of taxi drivers in Rome, Italy, was evaluated through a questionnaire and by measuring testosterone levels and quality of seminal fluid. The participants were 182 men who worked for two taxi cooperatives. Data collected included work history, work exposure, stress, health habits, and reproductive history. Testosterone was measured in saliva samples. Semen samples were analyzed for sperm concentration, morphology, and motility via light microscopy. The average age of the taxi drivers was 43.2 years, and they worked an average 15.7 years. The semen parameters were similar for taxi drivers compared to age matched healthy controls, except that sperm morphology among taxi drivers was classified as normal in 45.8%, compared with 64% in controls. Salivary testosterone levels were higher for participants with normal semen profiles (mean 0.67 nanogram/milliliter (ng/ml), lower for those with borderline semen profiles (mean 0.59ng/ml), and lowest for those with poor semen profiles (mean 0.4ng/ml). Salivary testosterone levels were related to alcohol consumption in a dose dependent manner, but were not related to age, years worked, or smoking. Moderate alcohol consumption was related to better sperm count and sperm quality. For each year worked, there was a significant 0.5% increase in the rate of atypical spermatic forms. Delays in conception beyond 12 months were reported by 8.8% of couples and was related to poor semen parameters. The authors conclude that the semen quality of taxi drivers does not differ significantly from controls except with respect to morphology, which has no probable effect on overall reproductive capacity.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 30(6):750-758, 1996. (45 references)
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