Toxins floating over cities are an increasingly real threat to the health of millions of Poles. Not only our lungs or heart can suffer, air pollution is more and more often mentioned as another risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and even infertility.
Smog, i.e. an air cloud containing dusts and gases from, among others from car exhausts and industrial plants is not neutral for our body. It affects the respiratory system, in particular the lungs and the circulatory system, but not only. And here specialists warn – air pollution may also adversely affect the health of the reproductive system, which in turn may have a real impact on the fertility of Poles.
Smog toxic to fertility
Is there really anything to be afraid of? The impact of smog on fertility can be observed on the example of the most populous city in China, but also in the world – Shanghai, where experts even talk about a fertility crisis resulting from record-poor sperm parameters among its inhabitants. After a detailed analysis, it turned out that only 1/3 of the sperm available at local sperm banks meets the standard standards of the World Health Organization. One of the studies showed that in the last 10 years, deteriorating environmental conditions led to a decrease in sperm quality and to aspermia, i.e. a condition involving the secretion of an incorrect, very small amount of ejaculate in men – less than 1 ml in 0,5 portion semen. This, in turn, translates into problems with conceiving a child in men. The impact of polluted air is visible in the growing infertility rate in China – in 2010 it was 12,5%. inhabitants of childbearing age, and 20 years earlier only 3 percent.
In turn, research published in the journal Environmental Pollution proved that the sperm of men who lived in cities exposed to high air pollution were of lower quality than the sperm of men living in rural areas.
Scientists have also reached similar conclusions by studying women. It turned out that women living near roads with heavy car traffic, e.g. highways, where the air is heavily contaminated with car exhaust fumes, were 11 percent. more prone to infertility than other women.
Silesia is the second Shanghai?
According to the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2016, out of 50 cities in the European Union that have the most polluted air, 33 are Polish cities, incl. Rybnik, Katowice, Zabrze or Wodzisław Śląski. The maximum dust concentration in the localities on the list exceeds the WHO standards by at least three times.
Although Poland is far from Shanghai and the problem requires in-depth research, specialists warn against the long-term impact of airborne toxins on the fertility of couples trying to conceive. The long-term effects of air pollution can be like a delayed fire bomb, which will translate not only into current infertility statistics, but above all for the health of future generations.
– Even if the risk on an individual scale is small, globally it is already a worrying trend. Problems with conceiving a child are experienced by younger and younger Poles, even between the ages of 25 and 35. Diseases are not always to blame, but more and more often lifestyle such as stimulants, overweight, unprotected sex as well as environmental and civilization factors such as stress or bad air quality. Silesia is the most urbanized and populated province in the country and for this reason we can feel the problem of air pollution even more strongly – comments Dr. Dariusz Mercik, gynecologist from the Infertility Treatment and Prenatal Diagnostics Clinic of Gyncentrum in Katowice.
– Air pollution is another potential risk factor for infertility. The essence of smog is the so-called suspended dust PM10 and PM2,5, containing toxic substances, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. benzopyrene, heavy metals, dioxins and furans. Penetrating deep into the body along with the bloodstream, these substances are not indifferent to our reproductive system, they can even have a toxic effect. The example of research shows that air pollution adversely affects the quantity, morphology, i.e. structure and mobility of sperm. Remember that male sperm is extremely sensitive to external factors, including environmental influences. It is similar in women, in whom toxins inhaled with the air can disturb the hormonal balance, and in 30-40% Hormones are to blame in cases of infertility – adds the specialist.
How to protect yourself from this?
While we are aware that stimulants such as cigarettes or alcohol have a negative impact on health, including reproductive ability, smog and its effects are something more mysterious. Therefore, according to specialists, all couples trying to conceive, but also pregnant women, should be careful, especially if the measurements in their places of residence show a high degree of pollution. In such a situation, avoid staying outside for too long and wear anti-smog masks. The solution, although not acceptable for everyone, is also to change the place of residence to areas with better air quality. More and more city authorities are considering appropriate anti-smog measures, e.g. providing temporary, free public transport to reduce the amount of car exhaust fumes and thus reduce the impact of toxins on the health of residents.
– All couples, including those healthy and not currently trying to have a child, but also single people who are afraid of potential consequences in the future, can perform the so-called prophylactic fertility diagnostics. It is a series of tests that will assess your health and detect potential abnormalities. In men, it is a semen analysis, or a semogram. It assesses its basic parameters, whether it has a sufficient amount of sperm, whether it is properly shaped and mobile enough to be able to try for a descendant. Women can also make diagnostic tests, including in terms of assessing the ovarian reserve and hormonal disorders that will determine a woman’s ability to become pregnant, explains Dr. Mercik.