Analyzing the impact of occupational exposures on male fertility indicators: A machine learning approach

Abstract

Occupational exposures are critical factors affecting workers' reproductive health. This study investigates the impact of magnetic fields, electric fields, whole-body vibration, noise levels, and heat stress on male reproductive indicators using advanced machine learning models. The aim is to identify key risk factors and provide predictive insights into workers' reproductive health over the next decade. Data were collected from 80 male workers in an automobile part manufacturing plant, capturing demographic characteristics, occupational exposures, biochemical markers, hormone levels, and sperm parameters. Five machine learning models logistic regression, bagging classifier, extreme gradient boosting, random forest, and support vector machine were trained and evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation to determine effective predictors of reproductive health outcomes. Exposure to whole-body vibration, magnetic fields, electric fields, and heat stress closely affected free testosterone levels, with SHAP importance indicating: Magnetic Field Exposure (0.339) and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (0.138). Worker Age (0.244) was the most influential demographic factor negatively impacting Free Testosterone. The XGBoost and random forest achieved the highest AUC (0.99), outperforming other models in predictive accuracy. The Random Forest model Importance (% Increase in MSE) predicted that Electric Field Exposure (5 %) and Magnetic Field Exposure (4.7 %) would have the most substantial negative impact on Free Testosterone, followed by Worker Age (4.1 %). This study underscores the need for targeted interventions, such as improved workplace safety protocols and regular health monitoring, to protect workers’ reproductive health.