Jakarta, VIVA – The problem of air pollution is becoming a serious problem that needs to be solved immediately. Considering that this air pollution problem can cost the country of Indonesia up to IDR 18 trillion.
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The Prabovo-Gibran government is encouraged to make the problem of air pollution one of the priorities of the future government’s activities. Data from BPJS Health show that respiratory diseases caused by air pollution will cost 18 trillion rupees between 2018 and 2022. This is clear evidence that air pollution not only affects the health of the population, but also imposes a heavy economic burden.
Not only this, research abroad has even revealed the dire dangers of air pollution. One study found that breathing air pollution can increase the risk of infertility in men by about 25 percent.
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Long-term exposure to pollution from road traffic, building materials and other tiny airborne particles known as PM2.5 is linked to higher levels of infertility, Metro.co.uk reported on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 in a study recently published in the BMJ.
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A group of Danish scientists also revealed that noise pollution from traffic is linked to infertility in women over 35 years of age.
The researchers looked at more than 500,000 men and almost 400,000 women aged 30 to 45 who had fewer than two children and were living with a partner in Denmark between 2000 and 2017.
They then calculated the average annual PM2.5 concentration and road traffic noise level in each participant’s direction between 1995 and 2017 and compared the data to fertilisation success.
The selected participants included mostly people who were actively trying to conceive. People with a previous diagnosis of infertility and those who underwent surgery to prevent pregnancy or who became infertile were not included in the study. They found that exposure to PM2.5 at levels of 2.9 µg/m3 (a measure of the concentration of air pollutants) or higher for five years was associated with a 24 percent increased risk of male infertility.
air pollution mask
Photo:
- VIVAnews/Anhar Rizki Affandi
Exposure to average road traffic levels, which were 10.2 decibels higher over five years, was also associated with a 14% increased risk of infertility among women aged 35 or older, but not among younger women (aged 30 to 35). Noise pollution has been linked to a “small” increase in infertility in men aged 37 to 45.
In the study, the researchers wrote: “Both stress and sleep disorders also cause reproductive dysfunction, including reduced sperm count and quality and menstrual irregularities.”
The researchers’ findings were similar for participants living in rural and urban areas and occurred regardless of their financial situation. It should be noted that this was an observational study, so it can’t directly say that pollution causes infertility. The study also didn’t measure smoke or noise that a person might experience at work or if they exercised outdoors, such as jogging. However, the researchers say that if their findings are replicated, they could help develop strategies and policies to protect the public from noise and air pollution.
What is PM2.5?
PM2.5 are polluting particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres and can lodge in the airways and deep within the lungs, where they can cause health problems. These particles consist of tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. These particles can come from road traffic, including carbon emissions from engines, small metal and rubber particles from engine and brake wear, and dust from road surfaces. These particles can also come from industrial and construction materials, as well as windblown dust, sea salt, pollen and soil particles.
Professor Jill Belch, an expert in vascular medicine and air pollution at the University of Dundee who was not involved in the study, said: “This is a large study linking more toxic effects to air pollution, especially the very small PM2.5 particles.”
“Infertility can be a disaster for some people, and the known harmful effects on sperm quality and motility are likely to play a role. Government and local authorities need to pay more attention to enforcing legal limits on air pollution.”
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They then calculated the average annual PM2.5 concentration and road traffic noise level in each participant’s direction between 1995 and 2017 and compared the data to fertilisation success.
