DDT exposure levels and semen quality of young men from a malaria area in South Africa

Background The organochlorine pesticide DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (chlorodiphenyl)ethane) has been used for malaria vector control in Limpopo Province, South Africa, since 1945. It is one of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) that are noted for their toxicity, persistence and bio-accumulative characteristics. Evidence of health effects in laboratory animals and wildlife are found in the scientific literature and include altered hormone activity [1]. DDT is still being used in many parts of the developing world for malaria vector control. Indoor spraying programmes in the Limpopo province include houses that are not painted on the inside. Exposure to DDT can be direct (spraying of houses) or indirect (through the food chain). DDT has got estrogenic properties and its degradation product, p,p’DDE, is an anti-androgen [2]. In response to mounting concerns about the endocrine disrupting influence of environmental chemicals on human health, this epidemiological study was initiated in a malaria area where DDT is still used. The aim of the study was to investigate the DDT/DDE exposure levels, effects on seminal parameters and possible adverse effects on human sperm genetic integrity in a non-occupationally exposed population of young health men, living in a malaria area.