Female fertility and environmental pollution
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Authors
Canipari, Rita
Santis, Lucia De
Cecconi, Sandra
Issue Date
2020-11-26
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Female Fertility , Ovary , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Pollution , Heavy Metals , Female Reproduction
Alternative Title
Abstract
A realistic picture of our world shows that it is heavily polluted everywhere. Coastal regions and oceans are polluted by farm fertilizer, manure runoff, sewage and industrial discharges, and large isles of waste plastic are floating around, impacting sea life. Terrestrial ecosystems are contaminated by heavy metals and organic chemicals that can be taken up by and accumulate in crop plants, and water tables are heavily contaminated by untreated industrial discharges. As deadly particulates can drift far, poor air quality has become a significant global problem and one that is not exclusive to major industrialized cities. The consequences are a dramatic impairment of our ecosystem and biodiversity and increases in degenerative or man-made diseases. In this respect, it has been demonstrated that environmental pollution impairs fertility in all mammalian species. The worst consequences are observed for females since the number of germ cells present in the ovary is fixed during fetal life, and the cells are not renewable. This means that any pollutant affecting hormonal homeostasis and/or the reproductive apparatus inevitably harms reproductive performance. This decline will have important social and economic consequences that can no longer be overlooked.
Description
Citation
Canipari, R., De Santis, L., & Cecconi, S. (2020). Female Fertility and Environmental Pollution. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(23), 8802. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17238802
Publisher
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health