Male fertility and environment

The environment certainly has a very close relationship with our health: just think of multifactorial diseases, in which a fundamental role is played by environmental factors, including pollution. There are many pathologies that cause it, and the impact on the reproductive system is known and well documented. A fact recently brought to the fore, not only in the scientific literature but also in the mass media, concerns the evidence of a progressive worsening of seminal fluid parameters in the last 50 years, which is associated with a reduced fertility potential. Among the various possible causes, industrialization has been included, which, in addition to the economic, geopolitical and social effects, both positive and negative, has brought with it the phenomenon of environmental pollution. The release of pollutants into the environment has a known effect on reproductive function. An example of this is perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a product of industrial processes related to petroleum derivatives. They have a chemical structure very similar to that of endogenous fatty acids and, like the latter, can spread freely across cell membranes, thus reaching generally more protected compartments such as the testicle. Therefore, they damage sperm production and interact with the testosterone receptor, interfering with the signal mediated by it. PFAS also give systemic harmful effects. It has been shown that exposure to these substances in intrauterine and preconceptional life is associated with alteration in the development of the genital organs and how these substances are transferable from mother to fetus. This leads to both a direct and transgenerational negative effect. These substances are found in the waterways of major Italian cities, but also in food products such as eggs, fish and fruit. As a result, there is a very large exposure.

We can, therefore, understand how environmental pollution is not only responsible for damage to the respiratory tract, which is certainly better known and studied. The possibility that substances such as PFAS can be transmitted from the mother to the fetus is sobering: we inherit the pollution of our parents. From birth we carry with us a part of the pollution produced by our predecessors. This should be sufficient to implement measures aimed at the maximum possible reduction of pollution and to raise awareness of the impact of human processes on health in its entirety, especially of political decision-makers called upon to respond in a timely and effective manner.