Although researchers have long sought to understand whether there is a link between air pollution and sperm quality, it remains unclear whether air pollution has adverse health effects on male fertility, as the results of studies are often inconsistent. But there seems to be good reason to believe that air pollution has a negative impact on the fertility of the entire population in general, according to a new study.
According to a study conducted on 30,000 men in China and published in the journal JAMA Networks, it was revealed that air pollution can negatively affect semen quality, especially sperm motility, which is the ability of sperm to swim in the right direction. In addition, the research indicated that the smaller the size of the pollutant particles in the air, the greater the link with poor semen quality.
Different sizes of particulate matter affect sperm at different rates
In the past months, the effects of air pollution on sperm count have been investigated and it has been revealed that pollution reduces sperm count. The new study, conducted by researchers at the Tongji University School of Medicine in Shanghai, analyzed the data records of 33,876 men, among whom were exposed to varying degrees of air pollution, and whose partners became pregnant with the help of reproductive technology with their partner’s sperm. After this analysis, the researchers investigated samples between semen quality for whether participants were exposed to amounts of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, 2.5 to 10 micrometers, and 10 micrometers in diameter, at various moments during the 90-day period prior to their hospital visit.
Researchers who wanted to determine the quality of semen focused on factors such as sperm count, sperm concentration and sperm motility in their studies. As a result of their analysis, the researchers found no significant correlation between air pollution and sperm quality in terms of sperm count or concentration, although greater exposure to smaller particulate matter increased both progressive sperm motility, which is the ability of sperm to swim forward, and sperm’s overall swimming ability. They found that it affects sperm motility.
Decreased sperm motility when exposed to particles
Specifically, those who observed an estimated 3.6% decrease in sperm motility when exposed to particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. researchers; They noticed a 2.44% decrease in sperm motility when exposed to particulate matter that is 10 micrometers in diameter. Based on this, the researchers concluded that different size fractions of particulate matter, which the smaller the easier it is to travel deeper into the lung, can have different effects on sperm quality.
In addition, according to the data obtained in the study, exposure to air pollution shows its effects more clearly when it occurs during the spermatogenesis stage, which is the first stage of the 90-day sperm production process. Researchers speculate that this may be due to particulate matter affecting sperm at the genetic level, although more research is needed to fully understand this.
“Our findings suggest that smaller particle size fractions may be more potent than larger fractions in inducing poor sperm motility,” the authors point out that these findings also highlight the importance of reducing the exposure of reproductive-age males to air pollution.
The findings are insufficient to say that there is a definite relationship between sperm deformation and air pollution
Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, who was not part of the research team, said: He says the study proves that the link between air pollution and sperm quality is real rather than a possibility.
On the other hand, Pacey stated that the decrease in sperm motility is quite low and that the findings should be approached with some suspicion; He states that no information is given about the morphology, shape and size of the sperm in the article, which makes it impossible to determine whether pollution is responsible for the deformation of the sperm.
Although data suggest that pollution may have an adverse effect on sperm motility, it is still insufficient to conclusively understand whether this will have an overall significant clinical impact and result in an overall reduction of male reproductive abilities in high pollution areas. no information available.
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