Pesticides affect sperm quality, health experts say

Culled from: Premium Times Nigeria
The experts said so in separate interviews in Lagos.
Some medical experts in Lagos on Saturday said pesticides and other
insect killer chemicals could affect the quality of sperm in men.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria in separate interviews in Lagos
that low sperm quality could cause sterility.
A consultant gynaecologist at Shalom Hospital, Titi Dairo, said many
environmental factors affected sperm quality in men.
According to her, such factors are pesticides and insecticides, which
are mostly overlooked by most people as damaging to the sperm
producing organ of men.
"Pesticides and insecticides used in controlling insects, pests and
rodents have harmful effects not only on a person's health,but also on
the sperm. Pesticides and insecticides exposure may affect
spermatogenesis leading to poor semen quality," she said.
"Other environmental elements that affect sperm quality include:
extended exposure to industrial chemicals like herbicides, pesticides,
organic solvents and painting materials.
"Indiscriminate exposure to these elements should be limited, if not
avoided because lowsperm count and poor sperm quality are the causes
of infertility in men," she added.
A general physician, Ibidun Abimbola, said that over exposure to
insecticide used in killing mosquitoes could have harmful effect on
the sperm producing organs of men.
"Chemicals from pesticides and insecticides can cause damage, not only
to the health, butalso to the male reproductive organ.
"Reduction in sperm quality due to several exposures to pesticides and
insecticides can result in infertility," she said.
She listed other factors responsible for low sperm count in men to
include work related stress, and lead fumes generated in the
manufacturing of small cell batteries.
"Exposure to X-rays should be limited as sperm cells are easily
damaged by its gamma rays.
"Sitting for a long period, wearing tight clothing or using a laptop
on your lap for a long period may also increase the temperature in
your scrotum and reduce sperm production," she said.