Study: Aluminum exposure reduces sperm count, affects men's fertility

MANILA, Philippines – Ever wonder how much the environment affects our health and well being?

A recent study by European researchers warns men on their exposure to aluminum, because as it turns out, aluminum exposure reduces sperm count and reduces fertility.

Aluminum content of human semen: Implications for semen quality, a study by researchers at Keele University in the United Kingdom and the universities of Lyon and St.-Étienne in France, which was published in Reproductive Toxicology journal, found out that a possible explanation to reduced fertility of men over the years are their exposure to pollutants, including aluminum.

The researchers examined and analyzed the sperm count of 62 men using fluorescence microscopy via an aluminum-specific stain, which followed the World Health Organization guidelines.

The researchers not only confirmed that semen does contain aluminum, but found that the sperm count is lowered as its aluminum content increases. The more aluminum that was present, the lower the sperm count.

Lead author of the study, Professor Christopher Exley says,"human exposure to aluminum has increased significantly over the same time period and our observation of significant contamination of male semen by aluminum must implicate aluminum as a potential contributor to these changes in reproductive fertility."

According to the Urology Care Foundation, between 10 and 15 percent of couples struggle with conceiving a baby due to infertility. This may be the time to contemplate whether your exposure to aluminum is just too much.