Semen quality and reproductive health of young Czech men exposed to seasonal air pollution

This study of male reproductive health in the Czech Republic resulted from community concern about potential adverse effects of air pollution. We comp ared young men (18 years of age) living in Teplice, a highly industrialized district with seasonally elevated levels of air pollution, to those from P rachatice, a rural district with relatively clean air. Surveys were schedul ed for either late winter, after the season of higher air pollution, or at the end of summer, when pollution was low. Participation included a physica l examination, donation of a semen sample, and completion of a questionnair e on health, personal habits, and exposure to solvents and metals through w ork or hobby. Analysis of data from 408 volunteers shelved that the men fro m Teplice and Prachatice were similar in physical characteristics, personal habits, and work- or hobby-related exposures. Sixty-six percent (272) of t hese men donated a single semen sample for routine semen analysis, computer -aided sperm motion analysis, and sperm chromatin structure assay. The mean (median) sperm concentration and sperm count were 61.2 (44.0) million/mL s emen and 113.3 (81.5) million, respectively, and were not associated with d istrict of residence or period of elevated air pollution. However, periods of elevated air pollution in Teplice were significantly associated with dec rements in other semen measures including proportionately fewer motile sper m, proportionately fewer sperm with normal morphology or normal head shape, and proportionately more sperm with abnormal chromatin. These results sugg est that young men may experience alterations in sperm quality after exposu re to periods of elevated air pollution, without changes in sperm numbers.