Sulfur dioxide may predominate in the adverse effects of ambient air pollutants on semen quality among the general population in Hefei, China

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-04, Vol.867, p.161472, Article 161472
• Main Authors: Zhang, Feng, Li, Hang, Xu, Wenting, Song, Ge, Wang, Zhanpeng, Mao, Xiaohong, Wei, Yiqiu, Dai, Mengyang, Zhang, Yuying, Shen, Qunshan, Fu, Feifei, Tan, Jing, Ge, Lei, He, Xiaojin, Yin, Tailang, Yang, Shujuan, Li, Siwei, Yang, Pan, Jia, Peng, Zhang, Yan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air Pollution - analysis; Ambient air pollution; China - epidemiology; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; General population; Humans; Male; Nitrogen Dioxide - analysis; Nitrogen Dioxide - toxicity; Particulate Matter - analysis; Semen; Semen Analysis; Semen quality; Sperm Motility; Sulfur dioxide; Sulfur Dioxide - analysis; Sulfur Dioxide - toxicity
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161472

Previous studies have reported potential adverse effects of exposure to ambient air pollutants on semen quality in infertile men, but studies on the general population have been limited and inconsistent, and the pollutants that play a major role remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential association between exposure to six air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, O3 and CO) during different sperm development periods and semen quality among the general population, and to explore the interaction between different air pollutant exposures. We included 1515 semen samples collected from the Human Sperm Bank. We improved individuals' exposure level estimation by combining inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation with satellite remote sensing data. Multivariate linear regression models, restricted cubic spline functions and double-pollutant models were used to assess the relationship between exposure to six air pollutants and sperm volume, concentration, total sperm number and sperm motility. A negative association was found between SO2 exposure and progressive motility and total motility during 0–90 lag days and 70–90 lag days, and SO2 exposure during 10–14 lag days adversely affected sperm concentration and total sperm number. Sensitive analyses for qualified sperm donors and the double-pollutant models obtained similar results. Additionally, there were nonlinear relationships between exposure to PM, NO2, O3, CO and a few semen parameters, with NO2 and O3 exposure above the threshold showing negative correlations with total motility and progressive motility, respectively. Our study suggested that SO2 may play a dominant role in the adverse effects of ambient air pollutants on semen quality in the general population by decreasing sperm motility, sperm concentration and total sperm number. Also, even SO2 exposure lower than the recommended standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) could still cause male reproductive toxicity, which deserves attention. [Display omitted] •SO2 may predominate in the adverse effects of ambient air pollutants on semen quality among the general population.•Ambient SO2 exposures were associated with declining semen quality, during 10–14, 0–90, and 70–90 lag days.•Low level SO2 exposure can still cause male reproductive toxicity.