Wildfires are becoming increasingly common as a result of climate change, and the smoke can impact air quality hundreds or even thousands of miles away. That\u2019s not great for your lungs, but what about other areas of your health? We\u2019ll take a look at the potential impact of wildfire smoke on sperm<\/a> and overall fertility.<\/span><\/p>\n Wildfire smoke contains gases along with significant amounts of particulate matter (PM) from burning wood and other organic substances. These particles are different in size and makeup. Larger particles tend to only cause eye and throat irritation, but particles that are 10 micrometers (\u03bcm) or smaller can be inhaled into the lungs, more severely impacting your health.<\/span><\/p>\n PM2.5, or particles with a diameter of 2.5 \u03bcm or less, poses particular concern because it can pass more deeply into your lungs and even into your bloodstream. These particles make up <\/span>around 90%<\/span><\/a> of the particle mass in wildfire smoke.<\/span><\/p>\n Few studies directly examine wildfire smoke\u2019s effect on fertility. However, research overall suggests that it has a negative impact.<\/span><\/p>\n A recent <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> in mice found that being exposed to smoke from burning Douglas fir needles for two hours per day over 40 days caused sperm DNA changes. The simulated wildfire smoke led to DNA methylation, a chemical change to DNA which has been linked to abnormal sperm count and motility. The study noted that the impact for human health is still unclear, and more research is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n Other <\/span>studies<\/span><\/a>, while not looking at wildfire smoke specifically, have found that prolonged exposure to particles in <\/span>air pollution likely harm fertility<\/span><\/a> and possibly sperm quality. With some recent <\/span>research<\/span><\/a> indicating that PM2.5 exposure from wildfires may be up to 10 times worse for human health compared to other sources of PM2.5, it\u2019s likely that these outcomes apply to wildfires as well.<\/span><\/p>\n A large <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> in China also indicated an association between PM2.5 exposure and fertility issues. It found that increased PM2.5 concentrations reduced fecundability (the probability of becoming pregnant over one menstrual cycle) while raising the chances of infertility. Specifically, every increase of 10 \u03bcg\/m<\/span>3<\/span> in average yearly PM2.5 exposure was linked to an 11% reduction in fecundity and a 20% increase in the chance of infertility. (Wildfires <\/span>can raise PM2.5 levels<\/span><\/a> in the air to over 3 times the safe level of 12 \u03bcg\/m<\/span>3<\/span>.)<\/span><\/p>\n Another <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> of 327 men indicated that exposure to air pollutants including PM10 and PM2.5 was linked to abnormal sperm morphology and lower testosterone levels.<\/span><\/p>\n One <\/span>review<\/span><\/a> found that pollutants can introduce defects in gametes (reproductive cells, like sperm), reducing reproductive ability. This may be a result of particulate matter causing excess reactive oxygen species production, leading to oxidative stress that may <\/span>damage sperm DNA<\/span><\/a> and reduce sperm mobility. Oxidative stress may also affect fertility by altering cell DNA and possibly decreasing ovarian functions.<\/span><\/p>\n Research<\/span><\/a> shows that PM2.5 can carry polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), compounds known as endocrine disruptors that may impact spermatogenesis and alter sperm. A <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> from 2010 found that exposure to higher environmental levels of PAH was linked to increased damage in sperm DNA. Forest fires are a <\/span>known source<\/span><\/a> of PAH.<\/span><\/p>\n An <\/span>analysis<\/span><\/a> from 2018 additionally indicated that air pollution impacts some semen parameters, particularly morphology, DNA fragmentation, and motility. And another <\/span>review<\/span><\/a> also found that air pollution may lower sperm motility. (However, the differences in study designs made it difficult to draw clear conclusions.)<\/span><\/p>\n While air pollution appears to negatively impact fertility, more research is needed to clarify the effect of air particles and pollution on sperm health specifically.<\/span><\/p>\n Wildfire smoke may affect not only your ability to conceive<\/a>, but birth outcomes as well. A <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> from 2019 found that being exposed to wildfire smoke during the second trimester of pregnancy was linked to increased rates of preterm birth.<\/span><\/p>\n In another recent <\/span>study<\/span><\/a>, male rats were exposed to simulated wildfire smoke for four weeks, then mated either immediately or after two months. Offspring from the group that mated immediately following exposure had higher anxiety levels, lower locomotor and exploratory activity, and reduced spatial memory. However, offspring from rats that mated 60 days after smoke exposure (one spermatogenic cycle for rats) displayed mostly normal behaviors. The study noted that more research is needed to confirm these effects in humans, but this suggests that the oxidative stress of wildfire exposure may impact the health of children conceived or gestating during the exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n Smoke from wildfires is particularly risky for people who are pregnant and those with lung or heart disease. Even in healthy people, it can lead to issues such as:<\/span> Exposure to PM2.5, whether through smoke or air pollution in general, may contribute to health conditions including:<\/span><\/p>\n The best thing you can do to minimize health and fertility effects from smoke is to reduce your exposure. If there\u2019s a wildfire nearby or if smoke from a distant fire is reaching your area, avoid outdoor activities. You can also check air quality reports, available in many weather apps and on sites like <\/span>airnow.gov<\/span><\/a>, to find out the air quality from smoke and air pollution in general.<\/span><\/p>\n If you do go outside, wearing a mask can help protect you. However, it should be a well-fitted N95 or P100 mask, since cloth masks, surgical masks, and other face coverings aren\u2019t sufficient to block the tiniest pollution particles that can harm your health.<\/span><\/p>\n You can also take steps to protect yourself indoors, where smoke particles can gather. It\u2019s best to keep windows closed, if possible, and to run your air conditioner (as long as it\u2019s not bringing in air from outside). Running an air purifier can help, too.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re concerned about the impact of wildfire smoke or other air pollution on your fertility, you can check your sperm health with <\/span>at-home sperm testing<\/span><\/a>. To safeguard your fertility for the future, you may also consider <\/span>freezing your sperm<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Learn what male birth control options are available now, and new options you may have in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":5586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"%%post_title%% %%sep%% %%sitetitle%%","_seopress_titles_desc":"Wildfire smoke can endanger your health and possibly harm your fertility. Learn how wildfire smoke affects sperm and how to lower your risk.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[199,8],"tags":[251,220,221,21,282],"class_list":["post-5527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environmental","category-science","tag-air-quality","tag-environment","tag-environmental-health","tag-pollution","tag-wildfire"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5527"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17673,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5527\/revisions\/17673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.givelegacy.com\/vnext\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Takeaways:<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Why is wildfire smoke a health concern?<\/span><\/h2>\n
How does wildfire smoke affect sperm and fertility?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Air quality and male fertility<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Wildfire smoke\u2019s effect on births<\/span><\/h2>\n
How else does wildfire smoke affect your body?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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What can you do to reduce your risk?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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