**4. Effects on male fertility**

In addition to affecting sperm quality, some epidemiological studies documented that arsenic exposure in the environment is increasing the sterility risks in populations which result in decrease androgen hormones level in body, sexual dysfunction and chromosomal aberration (**Figure 2**) [36]. As level of hormones and arsenic concentration is measured in the blood of infertile males which indicated that the concentration of arsenic and blood luteinizing hormones are strongly negatively correlated. LH can stimulate testosterone production in interstitial cell, the dysfunction or absence of testosterone lead to male infertility [37]. Epidemiological studies revealed that in Taiwan due to drinking of arsenic contaminated water the risk of prostate cancer is 6 times more than other population [38]. In many studies it is documented that risk of arsenic exposure affect genetic integrity in chromosome repeat region and it has certain effect on Y chromosome [38]. A group reported that arsenic exposure may increase erectile dysfunction; the experimental showed that the risk of erectile dysfunction was 3.4 fold higher in arsenic exposed population [39].

**Figure 2.** *Genotoxicity of arsenic adapted from [35].*
