LPollution does not only have consequences on the respiratory system. In addition to worsening respiratory health, a low air quality also has negative effects on cardiovascular and reproductive health. Raising the alarm in these days in which smog in Milan has reached very high values is the Professor Ermanno Greco, president of the Sidr-Italian Reproduction Societycommenting on the data of the Swiss company IQAir on the city of Milan.
Pollution a cause of infertility
“The fight against pollution is fundamental if we want to guarantee new growth prospects and a healthy and prosperous life for the next generations”, explains Professor Ermanno Greco to the news agency AdnKronos.
«The data released by the Swiss company IQAir, which indicate Milan among the most polluted cities in the world, with a PM2.5 concentration of 29.7 times the annual guide value set by the WHO and very poor air quality throughout the Po Valley, are alarming because the Fine dust particles represent one of the main causes of both male and female infertility. All this in a country like Italy characterized among other things by a strong birth rate”, says Ermanno Greco, president of the Sidr-Italian Reproduction Society, commenting on the data of the Swiss company IQAir on the city of Milan.
Infertility: 1 in 6 people
«Infertility is a very widespread pathology: according to estimates by the World Health Organization, it affects one in 6 people of reproductive age, that is around 15% in Italy. The etiopathogenesis is multifactorial. L’exponential increase in male infertility it is definitely due to the increase in air pollution, fine dust. But also atincrease in endocrine disruptors contained for example in plastic bottles. These disruptors go into the blood and interfere with the normal endocrine control mechanism of testicular function. In males, a progressive decline in testosterone was also detected, with repercussions on a physical, not just reproductive, level”, explains Greco
Pollution and fertility: prevention
To counteract the negative effects of pollution, it is «essential to follow careful prevention, considering that pollution also causes other dysfunctions, with damage to the cardiovascular system, pathologies of the respiratory system and at an andrological level. The inflammatory effects of particulate matter are a constant danger to human health.”
«Unfortunately, as far as fertility is concerned, there is no longer any prevention for men and often tests on female ovarian reserve are not routine, but are carried out only when the couple has fertility problems.», warns the president of Sidr
Improving air quality is a priority for future generations
Medically assisted procreation (PMA) techniques are very effective today, especially if associated with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Currently, in Italy there in vitro fertilization contributes to approximately 3% of birthsthat is, approximately 11 thousand births. While More than 5 million children have been born worldwide. The Pma have gone from 90 thousand to 110 thousand, as emerges from the Report to Parliament on Pma 2023 on the implementation of Law 40 of 2004. Improving the quality of the environment in which we live, therefore, is an important first step to protect our health», concludes Greco.
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