Men’s infertility risk tied to air pollution, women’s to road noise: study

Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a higher risk of infertility in men, while exposure to road traffic noise is associated with a higher infertility risk in women.

Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a higher risk of infertility in men, while prolonged exposure to road traffic noise is associated with a higher infertility risk in women, a recent study found.

The peer-reviewed Danish study, published Wednesday in the BMJ, said exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was linked to a greater likelihood of an infertility diagnosis in men, independent of age. Meanwhile, road traffic noise showed a similar association with infertility in women over 35 and potentially in men over 37.

If these results are confirmed in future studies, higher fertility could be added to the list of health benefits from regulating noise and air pollution, the Danish researchers argued.

“We already know that noise and air pollution are linked to other diseases like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes for example. So if we can add infertility to this, it is a better argument for doing something and against these things,” said Allan Jensen, senior author of the study and senior researcher at the Danish Cancer Institute.

Although the study was conducted in Denmark, he noted that similar results are likely to be seen in other major cities in Western countries, including Canada.

In Canada, one in six adults will be impacted by infertility in their lifetime, according to Fertility Canada.

In 2022, Canada’s fertility rate reached its lowest level on record, at 1.33 children per woman (compared to 1.41 in 2021).  The drop in fertility rate in 2022 was not unique to Canada, although the country’s decrease was one of the largest among high-income countries.

Apart from the United States, all G7 countries experienced a fertility decline between 2021 and 2022, Statistics Canada reported.