7 Environmental Pollutants that Cause Male Infertility

With the extensive progress in technology, our lives have been made easy, but it has made every one of us to rely on the technology, and to do so, we are exhausting all our natural resources and energy, which in turn is leading to the degradation of our environment, a lesser amount of resources for sustaining our life and Health relating problems, like male infertility.

“As we are overusing natural fuels to get the motor started, we have also offered a hand to the air pollution that has raised in our home the mother earth.”

“With an increased use of plastic, the sea, land, even the air has been permanently polluted.”

“Even after experiencing this dooming climatic pollution and health problems, we have now come under impacts of harmful chemicals such as industrial waste, herbicides, food additives, insecticides, and pesticides which we come in contact with daily.”

“Due to this rise in pollution, 70% of our water is getting polluted daily.”

“Fertility problems in men and women have increased drastically by impairing the process of Sertoli cell, sperm function, spermatogenesis, and steroidogenesis.”

Particulate matter is a combination of liquid and solid particles found in the air. These particles are present in our atmosphere in many sizes and shapes, consisting of hundreds of chemicals. These particles emit directly from a source such as construction sites, fields, smokestacks, fire, and unpaved roads. Most of these particles are a reaction of chemicals such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide that are emitted from power plants, automobile manufacturers, and industries.

VOC are compounds that you can smell when you open up a nail polish bottle or when you smell gasoline. They are carbon-based compounds that can be present in many items in our home and office buildings. Some examples of VOC are hexane, vinyl chloride, and formaldehyde. Volatile organic compounds are found in paint, Petroleum fuels, dry cleaning agents, and paint thinners. VOCs can cause harm to male fertility by lowering the total sperm count and testosterone levels in the body.

This type of air pollution is created at the surface of the earth by the combustion of fossil fuels. The ground-level ozone is formed by the reaction of the precursors of fossil fuel and the UV rays emitted by the sun. It is known that ozone particles can cross the blood-gas barrier and enter the bloodstream, causing oxidative stress that disrupts testicular and sperm function. Evidence shows that long-term exposure to ozone has an increased risk of health problems such as premature death, asthma, and heart attack and can also cause low sperm count. 

This is a colorless toxin that is formed by the oxidation of nitrogen. NO2 is formed when fossil fuels such as coal, gas, diesel, and petroleum are burned at high temperatures. It is one of the main pollutants that causes air pollution. All the motor vehicles such as trucks, cars, buses, power plants, diesel-powered construction equipment, and industrial boilers. Long-term exposure to this pollutant compound can cause fertility problems in men, such as decreased sperm motility and sperm toxicity.

Sulphur dioxide is also a colorless gas that has a strong irritating odor. The primary source of this pollution is burning fossil fuels and by smelting mineral ores that hold sulphur. Volcanic eruptions can also be a source of sulphur dioxide pollution in our environment. When sulphur dioxide emission occurs, it combines with the air and water, which creates sulphuric acid, which eventually leads to acid rain. The research found that exposure to sulphur dioxide may cause lower semen quality by affecting the early stage of sperm development. It also stated that SO2 could also reduce sperm count and increase sperm malformation and abnormal testicular pathological changes.

This pollutant is formed from the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels such as gasoline, natural gas, and wood. It can also be produced by motor vehicles, power plants, wildfires, and incinerators. Carbon monoxide can enter your body through your skin and while breathing. CO exposure can happen while engaged in welding work, iron and steel foundries, smoking procedures, car repair shops, and service stations where vehicle exhaust gases are present. A study found that exposure to carbon monoxide can cause a reduction in sperm.

PAH are class of chemicals that are naturally formed in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. They form up in our air when fuels such as coal, gas, wood, garbage, and tobacco are burned. You can get exposed to PAH through your skin, breathing, and consuming grilled and charred food items or when eating food that has high PAH particles that have settled from the air. Men who are exposed to PAHs through occupation or air pollution have bulky PAH-DNA adducts in the sperm, Lowered sperm count, Motility, and morphology alterations.

1). By using public transport we can reduce the usage of personal cars and motorbikes that can decrease the emissions degrading our Health.

 2). Always turn off lights and fans when not in use

 3). Recycle and reuse

 4). Increase forest supervision to stop forest fires

 5). Use filters in the chimneys of big factories and industries that mass-produce consumer goods. 

 6). Do not burst crackers

 7). Plant more trees that will help reduce air pollution

 8). Always check the levels of air pollution before going out, and if the levels are high, use a mask and do not exercise in such conditions and go for indoor exercise.

 9). Use electric bikes or cars that do not emit Health defecting gas.

 10). Stay away from factories and industries that produce or emit such pollutants.

Male infertility has been the main factor that causes difficulties in conceiving. There are many factors that cause male infertility, one of which is air pollution, which has been increasing day by day. We have dumped what we do not want. We have taken everything from this earth without even thinking twice. Now is our chance to repent and do good for all of us.

Dr. Health has dedicated its services to the betterment of the male population who are struggling with problems of male fertility such as low sperm count, nil sperm count, varicocele, premature ejaculation, and Erectile dysfunction. With the guidance of Himanshu Dhawan, many people have found relief from fertility ailments with the help of Ayurvedic medicines and the Ayurvedic way of life.

Help yourself and everyone else to breathe cleaner air. Please do not contribute to the ultimate cruelty going on to our earth and ourselves. Opt for a cleaner source of energy and live longer with your family and the whole world.

Author Name: SHIJO V THOMAS