Adverse associations of ambient fine particulate matter & components with semen quality and the mitigating role of residential greenness: Evidence from the PREBIC study in China.

Plain-language summary

This study set out to examine how exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and its components affects semen quality, and whether living near green spaces might help protect against these effects. Researchers followed 3,770 men in China who provided semen samples, tracking their exposure to PM2.5 and greenness levels in their residential areas over the 90 days before each sample. They found that higher PM2.5 exposure was linked to poorer semen quality across several measures, while more residential greenness was tied to better sperm counts and seemed to partly offset the harm from pollution.

Key findings

• Higher PM2.5 exposure was linked to worse semen quality, including lower sperm count and motility.
• Living in greener areas was associated with better sperm count.
• Residential greenness appeared to mitigate the harmful effects of PM2.5 on semen quality.