TITLE:
Exposure to Automobile Pollutants and Sperm Quality among Mechanics in Brazzaville (Congo)
AUTHORS:
Rancia Colombe Diakouka Diambalou, Presley Jeanel Ibrahim M’sengui Dzamba, Moïse Doria Kaya-Ongoto, Ange Antoine Abena
KEYWORDS:
Exposure, Automobile Pollutants, Sperm Quality
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Air Pollution,
Vol.12 No.4,
November
16,
2023
ABSTRACT: Atmospheric pollution is today at the heart of all debates because of its
potentially harmful effects on the environment, the climate, and human health;
it currently constitutes a real public health problem. However, the increase in
infertility around the world has led scientists to look for a link between air
pollution and fertility. This study consisted of evaluating the short-term
influence of automobile pollution on the semen parameters of mechanics in Brazzaville. A cross-sectional, analytical,
prospective study between two groups (G1, exposed people and G2,
unexposed people) was carried out in Brazzaville on 228 patients, i.e.,
G1 with 76 subjects and G2 with 152 subjects, between June 2020 and September
2022, a period of 27 months, in order to evaluate, on the one hand, the quality
of sperm in men exposed to automobile pollution according to WHO
recommendations and, on the other hand, the quality of the air by a
colorimetric method, punctual on a Dräger tube coupled with a Dräger Accuro
pump. The concentrations of automotive pollutants measured (CO, CO2,
NO2, SO2) during this study were all above the 2021 air
quality standards required by WHO. These results made it possible to establish
a statistically significant link between air pollution and abnormal spermogram
parameters, notably mobility, count, and morphology for the spermocytogram.
Exposures to automobile pollutants can influence sperm quality, which is
consistent with the results of our study. We observed an alteration in the
morphology, mobility, and concentration of spermatozoa.