Air Quality Criteria for Lead Volume II of II - (NEPIS)(EPA) - US ...

AX5-53
Table AX5-4.2 (cont’d). Effect of Lead on Reproduction and Development in Mammals Effects on Males
Citation Species/Strain/Age Dose/Route/ Form/Duration Endpoint
Saxena et al.
(1990)
Singh et al.
(1993a)
ITRC albino,
(NOS), adult
Monkey/
Cynomolgus, birth
Birth:
300 days:
Sokol (1987) Rat/Wistar, 52 days
old
Sokol (1989) Rat/Wistar, 27 days
old
8 mg/kg/d Pb acetate for
45 days
0–1500 µg Pb acetate/kg-d in
gelatin capsules for various
durations: 3 control
monkeys, 4 monkeys in
infancy group (exposure first
400 days), 5 in post-infancy
group (exposure 300 days to
9 yrs of age), 4 in lifetime
group (exposure from birth
until 9 yrs)
0–0.3% Pb acetate in
drinking water for 30 days
0–0.6% Pb acetate in
drinking water for 30 days +
30 days recovery
52 days old 0–0.6% Pb acetate in
drinking water for 30 days +
30 days recovery
Sokol (1990) Rat/Wistar, 52 days
old
Sokol and
Berman
(1991)
0–0.6% Pb acetate in
drinking water for 7, 14, 30,
60 days
Rat/Wistar, NOS 0, 0.1, or 0.3% Pb acetate in
drinking water for 30 days
beginning at 42, 52, or
70 days old; 8–11 control rats
for each age, 8–11 rats for
each age in 0.1% group, 8–
11 rats for each age in 0.3%
group
Alterations in SDH, G6PDH activity, cholesterol, and ascorbic acid contents and
reduced sperm counts associated with marked pathological changes in the testis,
after combined treatment with Pb and immobilization stress in comparison to either
alone.
Degeneration of seminiferous epithelium in all exposed groups (frequency not
specified); ultrastructural alterations in seminal vesicles, most prominent in infancy
and post-infancy groups (frequency not specified).
Hyper-responsiveness to stimulation with both GnRH and LH (10); blunted
response to naloxone stimulation (10).
Suppressed intratesticular sperm counts, sperm production rate, and serum
testosterone in both Pb treated groups (10–10); sperm parameters and serum
testosterone normalized at the end of the recovery period in the pre-pubertal animals
(27 days at start) (10) but not in the pubertal animals (52 days at start) (5).
Decreased sperm concentration, sperm production rate and suppressed serum
testosterone concentrations after 14 days of exposure; not dose related (NS).
Dose-related suppression of spermatogenesis (decreased sperm count and sperm
production rate) in the exposed rats of the two highest age groups (p < 0.05); doserelated
suppression of serum testosterone in 52-day old rats (p = 0.04) and in 70-day
old rats (p < 0.003).
Blood Lead Concentration
(PbB)
PbB >200 µg/dL
Chronic PbB