Environmental Health Perspectives 105, Supplement 6, December 1997

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Ultramorphological Sperm Characteristics in the Risk Assessment of Health Effects after Radiation Exposure among Salvage Workers in Chernobyl

Alf Fischbein,1,2 Natalia Zabludovsky,2 Fina Eltes,2 Valentin Grischenko,3 and Benjamin Bartoov2

1Department of Research and Development of Occupational and Environmental Health, Sanz Medical Center - Laniado Hospital, Netanya, Israel
2Male Fertility Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
3Institute of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kharkov, Ukraine

Abstract
We present a pilot study of individuals (liquidators) who were engaged in clean-up operations after the disaster at the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in Ukraine. In the 10 years since the disaster, adverse health effects among exposed individuals have not been clearly defined. There is widespread fear of damage to the reproductive system, with implications for fertility problems and adverse effects on offspring. Bearing this in mind, methods to evaluate the potential for production of fertile semen have been applied using quantitative ultramorphological (QUM) analysis. QUM analysis examines the organization and integrity of sperm organelles by electron microscopy, using both transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Significant differences were observed between clean-up workers and controls of similar age regarding certain ultramorphological parameters of the sperm head. The results of this pilot study suggest that QUM analysis of human sperm is a feasible approach for evaluating the fertility potential of individuals who were exposed to ionizing radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. -- Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 6):1445-1449 (1997)

Key words: semen analysis, sperm ultramorphology, ionizing radiation, Chernobyl

This paper is based on a presentation at the International Conference on Radiation and Health held 3-7 November 1996 in Beer Sheva, Israel. Abstracts of these papers were previously published in Public Health Reviews 24(3-4):205-431 (1996). Manuscript received at EHP 2 May 1997; accepted 29 September 1997.

This work was funded in part by the Ihel, Haim and Sara Bessinover Dragonster Fund, a grant from the Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel (BB), a grant from the Israeli Ministry of Science and Arts (No 1077), Ministry of Absorption (NZ), and a grant from the American Friends of Sanz Medical Center - Laniado Hospital, New York, NY (AF).

We thank Y. Scherbak for his assistance and A. Vovk for his cooperation in providing patients for this study. We acknowledge L. Privosnova, G. Yurchenko, and M. Kramar for their invaluable assistance. We express our thanks to C. Lederman, S. Arusi, P. Reuvan, D. Abargil, Y. Shiach, V. Sternberg, and J. Eshed for their skillful technical assistance and to J. Kushner and C. Berlin for preparation of the manuscript.

Address correspondence to Prof. A. Fischbein, Department of Research and Development of Occupational and Environmental Health, Sanz Medical Center - Laniado Hospital, Netanya 42150, Israel. Telephone: 972-9-8604731. Fax: 972-9-8624805. E-mail: fishbein@netvision.net.il

Abbreviations used: QUM, quantitative ultramorphological; SEM, scanning electron microscopy; TEM, transmission electron microscopy.

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