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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on September 21, 2007
Human Reproduction 2007 22(11):2999-3001; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem309
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Secondary sex ratio in Greece: evidence of an influence by father's occupational exposure

Evangelos C. Alexopoulos1 and Yannis Alamanos

Department of Public Health, Medical School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece

1 Correspondence address. Tel: +30-210-5510544/2610-997889; Fax: +30-210-5573518/2610-996101; E-mail: ecalexop{at}upatras.gr

BACKGROUND: Several medical, occupational and environmental paternal exposures have been suggested to be associated with low offspring sex ratios. The purpose of this study was to analyse trends and variations in the secondary sex ratio in Greece during the last 50 years and among different occupational groups of male employees of a shipyard.

METHODS: Data were retrieved from National Statistics Agency databases through the period 1955–2005, and linear regression was administered to examine the evolution of the sex ratio of newborns. In addition, 587 male shipyard employees with 1012 children were included in the study. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to study the influence of father's job title on offspring sex ratio.

RESULTS: Total births in Greece declined by ~30% between the mid 1950s and 1980, while little change in sex ratio occurred. In contrast, while between 1980 and 2000, the birth rate continued to decline at the same rate (by ~30%), there appeared to be a trend toward a decrease in sex ratio. The groups of sandblasters/painters and of ship carpenters showed a significantly lower proportion of boys among newborn children.

CONCLUSIONS: Data from men working in a Greek shipyard suggest that the trend toward a decrease in secondary sex ratio observed in this country may be accounted for by a decrease in male births associated with specific workplace exposures of the father.

Key words: sex ratio/chemical exposure/sandblasters/painters/carpenters

Submitted on June 15, 2007; resubmitted on August 5, 2007; accepted on August 30, 2007.


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