Rural workers at high risk of sperm DNA damage: scientist

There is a claim today that men who work regularly with pesticides are likely to face difficulties fathering children.

A scientist at the University of Adelaide's Centre for Reproductive Health has been researching the damaging affect of chemicals on sperm DNA.

Dr Michelle Lane says rural workers are in a high risk group.

"We have found a clustering in some occupations with men with high DNA damage and it's often associated with men that might come in to exposure with things such as pesticides or solvents and things like that," she said.

"There is a tendency for farmers to have high levels of DNA damage."