Alterations of serum hormone levels in male workers occupationally exposed to cadmium.

In order to investigate the influence of occupational exposure to cadmium (Cd) on the levels of serum hormone, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in male workers. Creatinine-adjusted urinary cadmium (UCd) was used as the indicator of cadmium body burden in workers. The levels of serum testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined by radioimmunoassay and enzyme immunoassay, respectively. The results showed that with cadmium exposure, the levels of serum testosterone and LH were significantly increased after controlling for confounding factors such as age, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption. However, no significant cadmium-associated changes in the levels of serum FSH were found. At the same time, a significant negative correlation of serum testosterone levels with age was detected. In contrast, the levels of serum FSH and LH were significantly elevated with increasing age. When taking the marital status into consideration, only significantly elevated FSH levels were noted in married workers after controlling for confounding factors. These results indicate that occupational cadmium exposure and other factors such as age and marital status may independently contribute to alterations in the levels of serum sex hormones in males.