THE microplasticsmicroplastics are often talked about! They are present in our food, in our clothing… but also in male semen! A study carried out in China looked at the link between exposure to polymerspolymers (group of compounds found in certain plastics)) and sperm quality in individuals not occupationally exposed to these materialsmaterials. “ Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have been detected in human semen from polluted areas, but their prevalence and effects in the general population remain largely unexplored », underline the authors of the work.
To learn more about the potential amount of microplastics present in human semen and try to determine the extent to which it may interfere with men’s fertility, researchers analyzed semen samples taken from 36 healthy adult men, collected during evaluations of premarital assessments (term to designate preconception medical consultations). During laboratory tests, researchers detected microplastics in all semen extracts studied, with at least two particles per sample. Eight types of polymers have been identified including PS (polystyrenepolystyrene), PE (polyethene) and PVC (polyvinyl chloridepolyvinyl chloride).
A difference in sperm mobility
The study notes a difference in sperm mobility, likely to vary depending on the type of plasticplastic. Sperm exposed to polystyrene, for example, showed a progressively higher mobility of sperm than in the group exposed to polyvinyl chloride. Morphological abnormalities of spermatozoa were also observed, but were not significantly associated with specific plastic types. “ The effects of exposure to different microplastic polymers on progressive sperm motility vary, highlighting the need for further research into how microplastics affect male fertility due to their ubiquity and potential reproductive toxicity », conclude the researchers.
This is not the first study to detect microplastics in human semen. An article published last May in the journal Toxicological Sciences mentions analyzes carried out in New Mexico (United States) on 23 samples of male semen. Six months earlier, Italian researchers explained (in another research) that they had found fragments of pigmented microplastics of spherical or irregular shape in six (out of ten) samples of human semen.
