Sperm and plasticizers

1996/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

This fact has been related to the current lifestyle and/or food, but to this day there is no complete affirmation. It has been observed that men produce less and less sperm and, while not clarifying what is the true reason, only hypotheses are proposed. Although the concern has spread to several levels, the topic has aroused a great curiosity among researchers.

As proof that one of these hypotheses indicates that the production of sperm is inhibited by the action of certain chemicals, rats have been published in specialized journals.

These sessions have been held at the University of Edinburgh and the team of the Department of Reproductive Biology has concluded that the continuous exposure to substances called phthalates causes a decrease in sperm, reducing daily production by between 10% and 21%. In addition, the same effect has made the testicles of rats contaminated with plasticizers smaller than the healthiest specimens.

Human beings increasingly use these chemicals in everyday life, and researchers from Edinburgh say that this can be one of the causes of the loss of sperm that has been revealed in recent times.