doi:10.1155/2012/420893 Review Article Correlations between Different HeavyMetals in Diverse Body Fluids: Studies of Human Semen Quality

Copyright © 2012 Lidia Mı́nguez-Alarcón et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. It has been hypothesized that exposure to heavy metals may impair male reproduction. To measure the effect produced by low doses of heavy metals on semen parameters, it is necessary to clarify in which body fluids those measurements must be performed. Sixty-one men attending infertility clinics participated in our study. Concentrations of lead, cadmium, and mercury were measured in whole blood, blood plasma, and seminal plasma using spectroanalytical and electrochemical methods. Semen analyses were performed according to World Health Organization criteria. For statistical analysis, Spearman’s rank correlations, mean comparison tests, and discriminant analysis were calculated. Significant correlations between the measured concentration