Male hormonal profile in workers exposed to toluene in an industrial packaging plant

OBJECTIVE: to identify changes in the male hormonal profile (MHP), consisting of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone, in workers exposed to toluene. METHODS: cross-sectional study that included 42 workers, formed in two groups: with high and low exposure to toluene (HET and LET, respectively); the hippuric acid in urine, and the serum concentration in FSH, LH, and testosterone were measured. RESULTS: hippuric acid in subjects with LET was 2.53 ± 1.20 g/g creatinine, and with HET: 6.31 ± 3.83 g/g creatinine (p = 0.02). Seric FSH concentration was 5.12 ± 0.77 and 3.55 ± 0.3 mU/mL (p = 0.02) in LET and HET, respectively; LH: 2.66 ± 0.45 and 2.77 ± 0.21 (p = 0.81), and testosterone 3.91 ± 0.34 and 4.86 ± 0.23 ng/mL (p = 0.04). By regression analysis, the correlation coefficient of FSH with hippuric acid was r = -0.33 (p = 0.031), with coefficient of determination of 11 %; the LH correlation coefficient was r = -0.037 (p = 0.88) and 0.05 %, respectively; and the one for testosterone was r = 0.61 (p = 0.0001) and 34 %. CONCLUSIONS: in HET group, FSH and LH serum levels diminished; testosterone shows an opposite response, perhaps explained by a different sensitivity of the male gonads exposed to toluene.