BY EMECHO TED
Now air pollution is getting linked to infertility. More
and more studies are showing that exposure to environmental air pollutants
affect reproductive functions and, in particular, produce adverse effects on
pregnancy outcomes, fertility and fetal health. “Epidemiological
studies demonstrate that exposure
to
ambient levels of air pollutants are associated with low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, neonatal death, and decreased fertility in males and also linked to DNA damage, abnormal sperm morphology, and reduce sperm performance.”
ambient levels of air pollutants are associated with low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, neonatal death, and decreased fertility in males and also linked to DNA damage, abnormal sperm morphology, and reduce sperm performance.”
In a very recent study it was shown that short-term decreases
in a couple’s ability to conceive was associated with airborne particles of the
size PM2.5 as well as nitrous oxide which is part
of ordinary smog. Another recent article showed that living in a city with air pollution lowers sperm quality and can
affect fertility.
Another recent article has shown a 2.6 fold increase in
the risk of miscarriage from a brief exposure to high levels of ambient
particulate matter, as in smog of a size smaller then PM10.
Putting all this information together has certainly helped me
to understand why young couples are having so much trouble conceiving. And interestingly
we see miscarriages and many other fertility problems in the young people of
today tagging them to spiritual sources.
True, but we ignore the negative effects of pollution especially
on our health.
I would like to believe that all these researches are true
because we do not really need much research to prove that pollution of any kind
is threat to our health. I know it is not scientific to believe without
verification when it comes to research, but trust me on this. If you doubt
what I am saying, take your time to stand in a closed room with a working generator
or on a busy road where there are construction activities; you would probably have
a feel of what I am talking about.
When fuel molecules in the engine do not burn or burn only
partially hydrocarbon emission occurs. In the presence of nitrogen oxides and
sunlight they react to form ground-level ozone, a major component of smog.
Ozone, damages the lungs, irritates the eyes and intensifies respiratory
problems. It is our most widespread and troublesome urban air pollution
problem. It is very important to note that a number of exhaust hydrocarbons are
toxic, because of the cancer causing potentials. Carbon monoxide is a product of incomplete combustion. It
occurs when carbon in the fuel is partially oxidized. It is a threat to humans
when highly exposed, as it could reduce the flow of oxygen in the blood stream.
Think of a body without oxygen
as well as one with polluted oxygen, you would realize that every unit in our
body would not function normally, not even when we breath, reproduce, eat, etc
Air
pollution presents big environmental threat in many parts of the world. Air
pollution includes variety of different harmful chemicals and gases released
from our vehicles and our industrial facilities that make our air dirty.
Vehicles are the biggest source of air pollution, and in some Asian states like
India and China life in some cities is almost unbearable because of tremendous
air pollution resulting from cars.
Air pollution has extremely negative effect on our environment, and the most obvious negative effect is the negative effect it has on our health. According to World Health Organization 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution, mostly from different respiratory diseases, but it can also lead to heart problems .
Air pollution also has negative impact on climate change, harmful emissions are not only polluting air we breathe but are also giving greenhouse effect much more impact, therefore increasing average temperature on our planet. More vehicles and more industries that are the main source of air pollution on this planet also means more impact to global warming problem.
Air pollution has extremely negative effect on our environment, and the most obvious negative effect is the negative effect it has on our health. According to World Health Organization 2.4 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution, mostly from different respiratory diseases, but it can also lead to heart problems .
Air pollution also has negative impact on climate change, harmful emissions are not only polluting air we breathe but are also giving greenhouse effect much more impact, therefore increasing average temperature on our planet. More vehicles and more industries that are the main source of air pollution on this planet also means more impact to global warming problem.
I
worry for citizens of third world and developing countries because while these
things occur, access to quality health care is not possible as a result of
poverty hence; most of them die not knowing the true cause of their death.
Have
you noticed that the majority of Nigerian markets are located along major roads?
(East west road for example which
connects different communities) Do you also
know that the numbers of people that move from one point to another along this
route influence the vehicular flow which in turn influences the concentration
of pollutants from vehicular emission and put market
users at risk? We really need to be cautious.
Couples
suffering from infertility need to exercise caution especially if they are
residing in areas with high ambient particulate matter because air pollution is
worse near major roads with high traffic volumes, so avoid living in these
areas if you can.
Women who live close to major highways
where the air is polluted by traffic exhaust fumes may be slightly more likely
to have fertility problems than women who live further away where the air is
cleaner, a U.S. study suggests.
This I found out after reading
“Researchers followed more than 36,000
women from 1993 until 2003 and analyzed air pollution and traffic exhaust near
their homes to see if what they breathed might be connected to their ability to
conceive.
Over the study period, there were about 2,500 reported
cases of infertility. Women who lived close to a major roadway – within 199
meters, or about a tenth of a mile - were 11 percent more likely to experience
this problem than women who lived farther from a highway, the study found.
“The risks are slight,” said study leader
Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, a researcher at Boston University School of Medicine,
in an email.
But even the slight increased risk can present a big global
public health problem, said Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a researcher at the Center for
Research in Environmental Epidemiology and the Barcelona Institute for Global
Health.
“For an individual woman the results may not be that
important because the risk of infertility only increases slightly, but for
society as a whole it is important because so many women are exposed to air
pollution,” Nieuwenhuijsen.”
To look at the link between infertility and air pollution,
Mahalingaiah and colleagues examined data on what’s known as particulate matter
– a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets that can include dust, dirt,
soot and smoke – near women’s homes and also assessed how close their
residences were to major roads.
They focused on what’s known as primary infertility, when
women try to conceive for at least a year without success, as well as secondary
infertility, which refers to couples who struggle with conception after having
at least one prior pregnancy.
When women lived close to major roads, they were 5 percent
more likely to report primary infertility, an increase in risk that wasn’t
statistically significant, meaning it might have been due to chance.
But these women were 21 percent more likely to report
secondary infertility than women who lived farther away, and that increase was
statistically significant, researchers report in the journal Human Reproduction.
This association was found even at relatively low
concentrations of particulate matter, or less polluted air, although the
connection became stronger as the pollution levels increased.
One limitation of the study, however, is that researchers
didn’t know the exact dates when conception efforts started or infertility was
diagnosed, making it difficult to closely examine how the timing of pollution
exposure might influence the odds of pregnancy.
While the study is one of the first of its kind to follow so
many women over such a long period of time, more research is needed before
making medical recommendations based on the results, Mahalingaiah said.
Even so, the findings add to a growing
body of evidence suggesting that pollution can negatively impact conception
efforts, said Dr. Sajal Gupta, a researcher at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio who
wasn’t involved in the study.
“Couples suffering from infertility need to exercise caution
especially if they are residing in areas with high ambient particulate matter,”
Gupta said by email. “Relocating to areas with low contamination of particulate
matter is an alternative to prevent adverse impact on fertility.”
Infertility is just one of many health problems tied to air
pollution, noted by Christopher Somers, a biology researcher at the University of
Regina in Canada who wasn’t involved in the study.
What
is your opinion about this?
References
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