Concentrations of phthalates metabolites in blood and semen and the potential effects on semen concentration and motility among residents of the Pearl River Delta region in China

Abstract Exposure to phthalate acid esters (PAEs) has been found to have adverse effects on reproduction of human and animal. However, the effects on the semen quality are controversial. In this study, we have collected paired blood and sperm samples from patients (n = 103) at a medical clinic in Guangzhou, China, to determine the concentrations of eight phthalate metabolites (m-PAEs). The concentration ranges of ∑8m-PAEs were 2.7–55 and 0.99–17 ng/mL in blood and semen samples, respectively. MEHP (median, 3.6 ng/mL in blood and 0.55 ng/mL in semen) and MnOP (median, 3.4 ng/mL in blood and 0.69 ng/mL in semen) were the predominant analytes in both blood and semen samples. However, analytes were not correlated in paired blood and semen. Semen motility was significantly associated to the concentrations of ∑8m-PAEs in semen, but it did not associate to the concentrations of PAEs in blood. Multi-linear regression analysis, including concentrations of PAEs in both blood and semen, as well as BMI, occupation, living habits, suggested that exposure to PAEs at current environmental levels had very limited effects on semen quality of population in Guangzhou, China.