QuickCheck: Does the haze affect male fertility?
Health experts suggest that prolonged exposure to air pollution and haze may negatively impact male fertility by reducing sperm quality and increasing DNA fragmentation. Fine particulate matter and other pollutants are believed to trigger oxidative stress, which can disrupt reproductive health.
Why it matters
Understanding the link between environmental pollutants and reproductive health is increasingly important as global air quality concerns persist.
HAZY skies have brought with them a claim that breathing in polluted air can take a toll on a man's fertility.
The claim was raised in a Threads post and has since prompted questions from the public.
Can exposure to the haze affect male fertility?
Exposure to haze may lower sperm quality and potentially affect male fertility, although the impact varies with the level and duration of exposure as well as a man's overall health.
A check by MyCheck.my found that air pollution, including haze, has been associated with changes in how well sperm swim, how many there are, their shape and the integrity of their DNA.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Faculty of Medicine senior biochemistry lecturer Dr Faizul Jaafar said recent research showed that prolonged exposure to haze and high levels of air pollution could put male fertility and sperm quality at risk.
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