The effect of environmental influences on male fertility
Recently published studies are cause for concern. As the Israeli researcher Hagai Levine of the Hebrew University-Hadassah reports in a review (published in Human Reproductive Update 2017), the number of live sperm per milliliter of semen has fallen by over 52% since 1973. In a man's ejaculate the number even fell by over 59%. This significant decline was found above all in the western world (Europe, North America). Outside these regions, meaningful data sets are still lacking. But what influence does the number of sperm have on fertility? According to the WHO, the reference value for infertility is a sperm count of 39 million per ejaculate or a concentration of 15 million sperm per milliliter of ejaculate. Fortunately, we are still far from that. Unfortunately, the negative trend is considered stable, which according to the WHO definition could lead to the majority of men – at least in the western hemisphere – being considered infertile in a good 50 years. Hagai Levine therefore says «Given the importance of sperm for male fertility and human health, this study is an urgent wake-up call for researchers and health authorities around the world.»
What is the reason for the decrease in sperm count?
How does this drastic decrease in men's sperm count come about? The matter hasn't been definitively clarified yet, but there are certainly some clues. Professor Dr. Stefan Schlatt of the University of Münster says „In the western industrialized nations, something is happening that causes this sensitive organ, the testes, to produce poorer sperm." Recently the signs have been mounting that environmental influences could play a significant role. Thus endocrine disruptors from pesticides, solvents, baby products, plastic bottles, plastic toys, cosmetic containers etc., the acetylsalicylic acid in painkillers, an altered hormone metabolism due to obesity, or the misuse of hormones seem to impair the sperm count.
Is there a way out of the misery?
Unfortunately, it cannot be assumed that the environmental pollution from human-caused contamination will decline. Pesticides, hormones and medications will continue to heavily burden our food and our water supply in the future too. Only in a few countries are the authorities slowly beginning to react. For example, from mid-2023 the German Federal Office of Health is implementing strict guidelines for the use of plastics in contact with tap water (KTW-BWGL regulation). The filter membrane patented by drinkpure already meets these strict regulations.