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An analysis carried out over fifty years now reveals the harmful effect of two common insecticides on male fertility: they unequivocally reduce the concentration of spermatozoa.
While the European Commission has just renewed the authorization of glyphosate for ten years, a new aspect of the impact of insecticides was revealed on November 15, by a team of American researchers. These announce an obvious link between exposure to pesticides and the reduction in sperm quality, regardless of where we live on the planet.
A strong link between the presence of pesticides and a drop in sperm count
“Understanding how insecticides affect sperm concentration in humans is essential, given their ubiquity in the environment and documented reproductive risks.”develops Lauren Ellis, co-author of the study.
To analyze this link, the team dissected 25 studies covering five decades of “research on male fertility, reproductive health and of human evidence regarding the health impacts of exposure to two widely used classes of insecticides”. These are organophosphate pesticides and methyl carbamates, intended to destroy living things. Their answer is clear: a link.strong, robust and constant” exists between exposure to insecticides and lower sperm concentration. This is detected in all studies, when adult humans are confronted with these substances.
Melissa Perry, first author of the study, is alarmed: “The available evidence has reached a point where we need to take regulatory action to reduce exposure to insecticides”.
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Towards a less fertile male population?
However, the meta-analysis cannot yet provide explanations on the mechanism at play and what harms sperm concentration. But early hypotheses involve endocrine disruption, as might be expected. “Insecticides directly interfere with hormones (…) and/or damage testicular cells. recalls the study. The researchers also assure that the method of meta-analysis, “ensures that all potential weaknesses of all studies reviewed are taken into account.
According to the World Health Organization, a minimum of 39 million sperm per milliliter of semen is required for good quality semen. A reduction observed after exposure to pesticides could therefore have a direct impact on human fertility, on a large scale.