Italian study finds traffic pollution affects male...( ethaemoglobin (Mhb). This study...)

"This study was conducted with a homogenous population of young to middle-aged workers who were equally and constantly exposed to gasses from vehicles for six hours a day," said Dr De Rosa.

"The sperm count did not differ significantly between our study group and the controls but, in general, the sperm of the study group was more feeble and less active so it has a lower fertility potential."

The research showed that while circulating blood lead levels were not as high in the tollgate workers as had been found in studies of workers in smelting plants, the intermediate but continuous exposure to lead among the tollgate workers impaired sperm, and the impaired function patterns correlating to MHb levels suggested that the nitrogen oxides were also causing damage.

"Our study demonstrates that continuous exposure to traffic pollutants impairs sperm quality in young and middle-aged men. Analysing the potential fertility of these workers after they have been removed from tollgate duty will add other important information," said Dr De Rosa.

He concluded: "Although more research will be necessary to identify the specific modifications induced by each pollutant, we hope that our results will prompt clinical and epidemiological studies of male infertility in other work categories exposed to similar levels of environmental pollution. Meanwhile, given our findings, health authorities should be alert to the insidious health effects of environmental pollution."

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Contact: Margaret Willson
m.willson@mwcommunications.org.uk
44-153-677-2181
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology
29-Apr-2003