Association between ambient PM1 and semen quality: A cross-sectional study of 27,854 men in China

Yangchang Zhang; Jing Wei; Chong Liu; Wangnan Cao; Zhenyu Zhang; Yufeng Li; Qiang Zeng; Shengzhi Sun

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2023.107919

Association between ambient PM₁ and semen quality: A cross-sectional study of 27,854 men in China

Environ Int. 2023 May:175:107919. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107919. Epub 2023 Apr 8.

Authors

Yangchang Zhang¹, Jing Wei², Chong Liu³, Wangnan Cao⁴, Zhenyu Zhang⁵, Yufeng Li⁶, Qiang Zeng⁷, Shengzhi Sun⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
² Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
³ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
⁴ Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
⁵ Department of Global Health, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China; Institute for Global Health and Development, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
⁶ Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095, Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address: yufengli64@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address: zengqiang506@hust.edu.cn.
⁸ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China. Electronic address: shengzhisun@ccmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37104984
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107919

Abstract

Background: Exposure to ambient fine and respirable particulate matter is associated with poor sperm quality, but evidence for particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1 μm (PM₁) is scarce. We aimed to estimate the association between PM₁ exposure and sperm concentration, sperm count, sperm total motility, and sperm progressive motility in Chinese men.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 33,221 men attending an infertility clinic in Hubei, China, between 2014 and 2020. Daily concentrations of PM₁ data were estimated from a validated spatiotemporal artificial intelligence model. We used multivariate linear regression to estimate the association between PM₁ exposure and sperm parameters during the spermatogenesis period after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), education, ever having fathered a child, and season of semen collection. In addition, we performed stratified analysis to assess whether the association was varied by age, BMI, and educational attainment.

Results: A total of 27,854 participants were included in the final analysis. An interquartile range (17.2 μg/m³) increase in PM₁ during the entire period of semen development was associated with declined semen concentration [-4.39% (95% CI: -7.67%, -1.12%)] and sperm count [-23.56% (95% CI: -28.95%, -18.18%)], reduced total motility [-0.86% (95% CI: -1.66%, -0.06%)] and progressive motility [-2.22% (95% CI: -3.00%, -1.43%)]. The associations were homogeneous across subgroups defined by age and education, but were more pronounced among men with underweight for sperm concentration and sperm count. We identified a critical exposure window of 0-9 lag days, 10-14 lag days, and 70-90 lag days before semen collection for sperm count and progressive motility.

Conclusions: Among men attending an infertility clinic in China, exposure to PM₁ was associated with poor semen quality, especially during the 70-90 days before ejaculation. These results suggest that exposure to PM₁ might be a novel risk factor for impaired semen quality.

Keywords: Chinese men; Infertility; PM(1); Particulate matter; Semen quality.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Artificial Intelligence
Child
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Male
Particulate Matter / analysis
Seeds
Semen Analysis*
Sperm Count
Sperm Motility

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter