Air pollution created through human behaviour is perhaps the most damaging aspect of our lives. It doesn’t just cause global warming which is an existential crisis for humankind and the wildlife on the planet for which we have responsibility, it may also damage our DNA and in doing so pollution cuts the chance of IVF success by 38%. In addition, is now believed that pollution has been shown to affect men’s fertility – specifically sperm quality – with potentially huge consequences for individuals and entire societies and indeed mankind.
For hundreds of years, humankind has been going about its eager business, creating money and trying to improve their lives without any thought whatsoever for what they chuck into the atmosphere but the chickens have come home to roost.
The damage done by pollution is so profoundly fundamental that you could successfully argue that it threatens humankind’s existence. Humans might be going extinct because of pollution both through global warming and damaged DNA.
This site is about the animal-human relationship. It’s obvious; the connection. What damages us also damages animals. We live on the same planet and there are hundreds of millions of companion animals reliant upon humans to look after them successfully. There are many successes in the human-to-cat and human-to-dog relationships but in a global sense, there is deep failure.
The Times is running a campaign for “clean air for all”. They’re also running a campaign for clean water in the UK.
Their science reporter, Kaya Burgess, tells us that “Women undergoing IVF treatment could boost their chances of having a baby by reducing their exposure to air pollution, a study suggests.”
The report adds that, “The study noted that pollutant particles may damage or alter the DNA in eggs and placed them under oxidative stress”.
And the kind of air pollution were talking about is the kind that passes World Health Organisation standards. The study took place in Perth which has exceptionally clean air (lucky Australians). But even in that clean air environment pollution levels on some days can damage DNA.
The kind of pollution referred to in this instance is the presence of small particles measuring 10 µm or less in diameter (PM10). The study found that “Those who were exposed to the highest levels of PM10 pollution made up of particles measuring 10 µm or less in diameter in the two weeks before egg retrieval were 38% less likely to have a baby through IVF compared with those with the lowest pollution exposure.”
PM2.5 particle pollution is even more lethal because it is so small that the particles can penetrate further within the body.
The abstract (summary) to the study is published in the Human Reproduction journal. It was conducted over eight years in Perth, as mentioned, and the researchers analysed 3659 frozen embryo transfers from 1836 patients. The median age of the women was 34.5 at the time of egg retrieval.
This is the first study to show how pollution affects frozen embryo transfer cycles during the development of eggs. The study allowed the scientists to observe the effects of pollution on the eggs themselves or on the early stages of pregnancy.
It’s a warning, yet another warning, to humankind to take pollution seriously. Perhaps the concept of global warming is too big a concept for humankind to fully grasp and therefore we might more successfully focus on the direct impact of pollution and air quality in reference to these kind of studies. The impact is very direct and very immediate. It affects people having children.