Abstract

The emission from the brick kilns is a major cause of air pollution worldwide, specifically in developing countries. These pollutants can have a direct impact on reproductive health of adult males and children working in brick kilns, and can eventually lead to male infertility. The aim of this research was to check the effect of brick kiln exposure on the serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and body mass index (BMI) of male children and adults working in kilns. Total 205 subjects, constituting, 54 exposed children (<em>n</em>=54) and exposed male adults (<em>n</em>=58) working in brick kilns were analyzed against healthy children (<em>n</em>=48) and healthy males (<em>n</em>=45) from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The age range of children under study was 4-17 years and of adults was 18-48 years, further subdivided into sub groups. In case of children (<em>n</em>=54) our findings indicated that the brick kiln exposure significantly reduces the level of LH (<em>P</em><0.01), testosterone (<em>P</em><0.5) and BMI (<em>P</em>=0.01). Similarly, adult brick kilns workers (<em>n</em>=58) when analyzed and compared with control (<em>n</em>=45) indicated significantly lower BMI values (<em>P</em><0.01) and reduced levels of serum testosterone and LH levels (<em>P</em><0.05). Our results are in accordance with our hypothesis that coal clay brick kiln exposure can directly affect the fertility of children and adult males.