A new study revealed that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is linked to a higher risk of infertility in men. Likewise, noise pollution was linked to higher infertility risk in women. The study was led by researchers at the Nord Universitet in Denmark and published in the journal BMJ. The study highlights a major health concern, infertility which affects one in every seven couples.

For the study, the researchers looked at whether long-term exposure to road traffic noise and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a particular form of air pollution, was associated with a higher risk of infertility in men and women.

The study found that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 is associated with a higher risk of infertility in men and exposure to levels of road traffic noise that were 10.2 decibels higher than average increased the risk of infertility among women over 35.

For the study, the researchers analysed data of 526,056 men and 377,850 women aged 30 to 45 who had fewer than two children, were cohabiting or married and who had lived in Denmark between 2000 and 2017. A part of this data also includes people who were actively trying to become pregnant. The researchers excluded sterilised men and women who had had surgery to prevent pregnancy. The average amount of PM2.5 pollution was recorded at the addresses of each participant, and infertility diagnoses were recorded from the national patient register between 1995 and 2017.

The researchers diagnosed infertility in 16,172 men and 22,672 women. A report in The Guardian says after adjusting for factors such as income, education level and occupation, it was found that exposure to levels of PM2.5 that were 2.9 micrograms per cubic metre higher than average over five years was associated with a 24% increased risk of infertility in men aged 30 to 45.

Exposure to levels of road traffic noise that were 10.2 decibels higher than average over five years was associated with a 14% increased risk of infertility among women over 35, while for women aged between 30 and 35, noise was not associated with infertility.

The researchers said, “Based on a nationwide cohort, designed to include a high proportion of people actively trying to achieve pregnancy, we found that PM2.5 was associated with a higher risk of an infertility diagnosis among men and road traffic noise was associated with a higher risk of an infertility diagnosis among women older than 35 years, and possibly among men older than 37 years.

“As many western countries are facing declining birthrates and increasing maternal age at the birth of a first child, knowledge on environmental pollutants affecting fertility is crucial. If our results are confirmed in future studies, it suggests that political implementation of air pollution and noise mitigations may be important tools for improving birthrates in the western world.”

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