A new review of 25 studies spanning nearly five decades has found a significant association between exposure to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides and lower sperm concentration in adult men around the world. The research has been led by Melissa J. Perry, dean of the School of Public Health at George Mason University, and its results have been published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
“Understanding how insecticides affect sperm concentration in humans is critical, given their ubiquity in the environment and documented reproductive risks. “Insecticides are a concern for public health and for all men, who are exposed primarily through consumption of contaminated food and water,” said Lauren Ellis, a doctoral student at Northeastern University and co-author of the work.
“This review is the most comprehensive to date, evaluating more than 25 years of research on male fertility and reproductive health. “The available evidence has reached a point where we must take regulatory action to reduce exposure to insecticides,” added Perry.
Insecticide use linked to lower semen quality
Researchers reviewed nearly five decades of evidence on the human health effects of occupational and environmental exposure to two widely used classes of insecticides, organophosphates and N-methyl carbamates, and found consistent associations with lower sperm concentration. , which is worrying, especially considering that other studies that have analyzed semen quality have already shown downward trends.
“This review evaluates more than 25 years of research on male fertility and reproductive health and evidence that we should take regulatory action to reduce exposure to insecticides”
In statements to SMC Spain, Rocío Núñez Calonge, embryologist and scientific director of the UR International Group and professor in the Master of Reproduction at the Complutense University and the Spanish Fertility Society, believes that “the results of the study show solid evidence of the association between a greater exposure to insecticides in adults and a lower sperm concentration.”
The expert explains that there are currently many studies that demonstrate a global decrease in the number of sperm, while other studies have not found differences, although “there does seem to be agreement on the fact that there are geographical differences in sperm concentration in various populations. and in different countries. One of the possible causes that have been considered are environmental differences and, although there are isolated studies that prove an association between the use of insecticides and low seminal quality, there are no such extensive studies that cover so much time and with a high number of cases.”
“The demonstration, in light of these studies, of the association between lower sperm concentration and use of insecticides, especially from an occupational point of view, may explain the differences found in the literature. The authors indicate some methodological limitations in the included studies, such as the lack of some data and the need for prospective cohort studies to be able to know the temporal variability in exposure,” concludes Núñez Calonge.
