To our knowledge, reproductive health effects among
male leather tannery workers have not been previously
investigated. Tannery work involves exposure to
chromium, solvents, and other chemicals, which has
been associated with adverse pregnancy and fertility
outcomes in animals or humans in some studies. This
study retrospectively investigates the association of
male leather tannery work with preterm delivery, spontaneous
abortion, time to pregnancy, and infertility by
comparing tannery employees to other workers in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Participants were randomly
selected from current employee rosters at eight tanneries
and two bread-making companies. The results of
this research suggest that tannery work may be associated
with reduced fertility in males. The study had limited
statistical power, and some factors are likely to have
biased findings toward the null hypothesis; other limitations
and possible sources of undetermined bias give
reason for cautious interpretation. Additional studies
should be conducted to further examine fertility
among tannery workers.