Air Pollution Can Harm Human Reproduction

Two new studies have provided evidence that air pollution hinders human reproduction:

Male Infertility Caused by Air Pollution
The first study, conducted by urologist Jorge Hallak, coordinator of the Reproductive Toxicology and Andrology, Hospital das Clinicas, examined 748 male workers who inhaled the air of major thoroughfares, according to a report from O Estado.

The results of the study found that those who breathe too much pollution have a higher concentration of free radicals in blood, which causes a lower sperm quality even in the infertile men.

Of the 748 men involved in the study, 500 showed some change in fertility.

Problems in Pregnancy
Researchers from the Faculdade de Medicina compared hospital birth records to air quality measures in a particularly polluted district in Rio de Janeiro between January 2003 to December 2006. The study looked at 13,660 births, and calculated an estimate of pollution exposure on the part of the mothers.

The results found in 9.1 percent of children born were below the ideal birth-weight and 7.4 percent were born prematurely. Researchers concluded from this data that air pollution contributes to adverse effects in pregnancy.

Exposure to high levels of ozone (O3) and airborne particulate matter (PM10) during the second and third trimester were found to contribute to babies a with low birth rate. When it comes to the premature birthrate, the substance deemed to contribute most to the increase in cases was sulfur dioxide (SO2), exposure to can affect the pregnancy during all three semesters, according to the Agência USP.

Of course, climate change and clean energy and transport legislation that advances the proliferation of clean electric vehicles (which are substantially more energy efficient than gasoline-powered vehicles), will help to solve this reproductive problem.

Surely, Pro-Life groups will now back this legislation...

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