According to scientists, men’s sperm count has been in a steady decline over the last 50 years. A study that brought together the results of different studies revealed that the reason for this decline worldwide was insecticides called insecticides. According to researchers, insecticides may affect people’s hormones, which may cause their sperm count to decrease.
Hurting people while trying to kill insects
“Understanding how pesticides affect sperm concentration in humans is critically important, given their abundance in the environment and documented reproductive hazards. Pesticides are a public health issue,” said Lauren Ellis, lead author of the study. he said.
The data obtained in past research were brought together on a common denominator, taking into account the research constraints. In total, data were used from 1774 adult males who took part in 21 studies and were exposed to the two most commonly used groups of insecticides (organophosphates and N-methyl carbamates). Regardless of the size of the studies, men’s sperm concentration was decreasing in every study. It was also stated that the participating men lived in North and South America, Europe and Asia. So the process affects humanity globally.
The research also noted a decrease in sperm quality. In a study conducted in 2022, it was stated that the sperm count of non-infertile men in 1973 was 101.2 million, and this number decreased to 49 million in 2018. 49 million falls within the “normal” sperm density range declared by the World Health Organization.
There are different factors that affect sperm count and quality. Factors such as stress and air pollution reduce the number and quality of sperm in both humans and animals. Researchers state that the neurotoxic effects of the active ingredients used in pesticides should be examined.
The research was published via Environmental Health Perspectives.
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