Gaseous pollutant exposure affects semen quality in central China: a cross‐sectional study

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have explored the association between gaseous pollutant exposures and male reproductive outcomes, and findings remained inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential association between gaseous pollutants and semen quality within different exposure windows. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We adopted semen quality data of 1852 subjects who attended the Reproductive Medicine Center of Renmin Hospital at Wuhan University during January 1st, 2013, to August 3rd, 2015. A generalized linear model was employed to assess the relationship between each exposure variable and sperm parameters in different exposure windows. RESULTS: SO2 exposure with lag 0-90 days was significantly associated with decreased sperm concentration (beta: -1.362; 95% CI: -1.844, -0.879), sperm count (beta: -2.979; 95% CI: -4.267, -1.691), and PR (beta: -0.551; 95% CI: -0.710, -0.393). Similar trends were observed for SO2 exposure with three other key periods (lag 0-9, 10-14, and 70-90 days). NO2 exposure with lag 0-90 days was also associated with decreased sperm concentration (beta: -0.517; 95% CI: -1.006, -0.027), sperm count (beta: -1.914; 95% CI: -3.214, -0.615), and PR (beta: -0.264; 95% CI: -0.425, -0.102). No relationship between gaseous pollutant exposure and ejaculate volume was observed in any exposure window. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our study indicated a strong adverse effect of gaseous pollutants on semen quality outcomes during the sperm development. Gaseous pollution exposure appeared to be more detrimental in the initial phase of spermatogenesis.