Scientists from the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz are not sure what the exact mechanism could be responsible for it. – We suspect that air pollution increase the amount of free radicals in the body, which induce the so-called. oxidative stress, which may reduce the function of the testicles and damage the mature sperm, including their genetic material – explains co-author Dr Joanna Yurevich Research of the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IMP) in Lodz.
The study, which took part also specialists from the hospital, “gamete” in Rzgow and the National Research Institute Balice near Krakow, the researchers analyzed data from 327 young men (mean age 32 years) who were taken to a fertility clinic to diagnose the causes of the problems conceiving offspring. These samples were collected from semen, saliva, urine and blood.
With a database maintained by the European Environment Agency (EEA) obtained data on air quality and concentrations of various pollutants in residence men. Researchers have focused on the level of suspended particles (having a diameter of 10 microns – PM10, and having a diameter less), sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
They found that men who were exposed in the place of residence to a higher level all the analyzed pollutants have a higher percentage of sperm with abnormal changes in construction. In turn, higher concentrations of suspended particulates, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides was associated with lower levels of testosterone. There were no relationship between the level of pollution and sperm motility and, with.
The survey results were published in the journal “Annals of Human Biology”
In the second paper, the results published in July 2014. magazine “Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis”, the same team of researchers has demonstrated a link between higher levels of airborne particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), and a higher incidence sperm with abnormally duplicated genetic material. It was about the existence of two (so called. Disomy), instead of one copy of the Y sex chromosome or chromosome 21. In men smoking, but exposed to more air pollution was found five times higher incidence of Y chromosome disomy.
As noted by leading the team of scientists prof. Wojciech Hanke from the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IMP) in Lodz, where the sperm with the wrong number of chromosomes fertilizes an egg cell is in a child reaches developmental disorders (eg. The presence of three chromosomes 21 leads to Down’s syndrome).
(PAP)
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