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EPISODIC AIR POLLUTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED DNA FRAGMENTATION IN HUMAN SPERM WITHOUT OTHER CHANGES IN SEMEN QUALITY
Citation:
Rubes, J., S G. Selevan, D. P. Evenson, Z. Zudova, W. A. Robbins, AND S D. PERREAULT. EPISODIC AIR POLLUTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED DNA FRAGMENTATION IN HUMAN SPERM WITHOUT OTHER CHANGES IN SEMEN QUALITY. HUMAN REPRODUCTION. Oxford University Press, Cary, NC, 20(10):2776-2783, (2005).
Impact/Purpose:
To elucidate associations between episodes of high air pollution and alterations in semen quality
Description:
This study was motivated by a previous report of associations between episodes of high air pollution and alterations in semen quality in young men living in an industrial district of the Czech Republic. Using a repeated measures study design, a cohort of men from this district were sampled up to seven times over two years. This strategy allowed examination of semen quality within individuals after periods of both low and high air pollution. Routine semen measures were supplemented with newer tests of sperm genomic integrity: the Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA?) and a sperm aneuploidy assay. Air pollution was somewhat lower during this study than during the previous study period. Nevertheless, a significant association was again seen between exposure to episodes of high levels of air pollution and the percentage of sperm with DNA fragmentation according to SCSA?. These results also raise the possibility that exposure to high levels of air pollution may increase the risk of male-mediated infertility, miscarriage, and other adverse reproductive outcomes.