One of the alarming effects of this exposure could be a decrease in the birth rate of boys, they warn.
Weronika Michalak, director of HEAL Poland, highlights the dire consequences of air pollution on the reproductive system, noting a significant reduction in fertility.
Pollution can lead to difficulties in conceiving, experts warn
Research conducted across various countries has shown that the quality of male sperm in areas with higher levels of pollution is lower, which can lead to difficulties in conceiving.
One study pointed out that infertility levels among individuals living in areas with air pollution exceeding safe levels are about 10 percent higher.
HEAL, the Health and Environment Alliance, is a leading European NGO addressing how the natural and built environments affect health in the European Union and elsewhere.
In 2015, scientists from Kraków in southern Poland investigated this link by studying 327 patients at a fertility treatment clinic in the central city of Łódź. Both cities consistently rank among the most polluted in the country.
They found a statistically significant relationship between abnormalities in sperm morphology and exposure to air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NOx, CO).
Moreover, exposure to air pollution was also negatively associated with testosterone levels. Additional exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) increased the percentage of cells with immature chromatin (HDS).
Poland has the highest concentration of air pollutants in the European Union.
'Air pollution harms male fertility'
Prof. Wojciech Hanke from the Department of Environmental Epidemiology at the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Łódź summarized the findings by stating: "The observed decrease in male births over the last decades could also be due to exposure to air pollution. Air pollution harms male fertility."
Similar large-scale research projects have been conducted abroad. For instance, a study in China — a country with severely polluted air — included over 18,000 couples. It was found that individuals living in areas with exceptionally high levels of smog had a 10-percent higher infertility rate.
Another study involving 6,500 men from Taiwan established a precise correlation between the concentration of PM2.5, a primary component of smog, and male infertility. Each additional 5 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air correlated with a 1.29-percent increase in sperm deformities.
A recent analysis entitled "Consequences of exposure to air pollution on male fertility: The role of oxidative stress" by an international team points to the negative impact of inhaling toxic compounds present in air pollution on various aspects of sperm quality. This includes the morphology and volume of semen, sperm concentration, as well as mobility and advanced parameters, including fragmentation and DNA damage.
Furthermore, the research indicated that exposure to air pollution could affect men's sexual health by triggering depression and anxiety or by disrupting chemical pathways.
This growing body of evidence points to an urgent need for more stringent air quality regulations to protect public health, including reproductive health, experts say.
(rt/gs)
Source: zdrowie.pap.pl
