Male fertility crisis: what environmental contaminants have got to do with it Premium

Environmental contaminants play a large part in declining fertility of men all over the world.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently reported that around one in six couples globally are affected by infertility. For many years people tended to blame women for a couple’s infertility – especially in African countries.

But it’s now known that male factor infertility contributes about 50% of total cases. And men worldwide – Africa included – are experiencing a worrying trend of decreased sperm count and quality.

There are multiple causes of male infertility. However, it is clear that environmental contaminants play a large part in declining fertility worldwide. Concern is rising about substances such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, nanomaterials and endocrine-disrupting compounds. These substances are found everywhere in modern everyday lives. Most are present in personal-care products such as soaps, shampoos and hair sprays, as well as food wrap, water bottles and many other items.

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Other contaminants that are increasing in prevalence and show signs of entering our food chain are pesticides and medication. Recent research in our laboratory found high traces of these in the nearshore marine environment of False Bay, as well as in rivers and air in agricultural areas of South Africa’s Western Cape province.

Our study suggests that these “contaminants of emerging concern” might be contributing to the male infertility crisis in surprising ways.

In our study, we described the effects of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides on male reproduction. We propose that these can affect men’s reproductive fitness either by interacting with their brain, or by targeting the reproductive organs such as the testes directly.