Air pollution might harm men's swimmers

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-02-18 03:00

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Air pollution might affect the quality of sperm produced by men who breathe it in, according to Chinese research, which found that sperm motility was decreased in men exposed to particulate matter between 2.5 and 10 micrometres in diameter. The researchers took anonymous sperm samples from men in Shanghai, China, and categorised their exposure to air pollution based on daily air pollution data obtained from monitoring stations around the city. While they found that sperm motility was reduced in areas with high air pollution, sperm count and concentration was not shown to be affected. The researchers say that their findings highlight the need to reduce ambient particulate air pollution exposure in reproductive-aged men.