Infertility has become a growing health concern globally, with one in every seven couples facing challenges in conceiving. While various factors like age, lifestyle habits, and medical conditions contribute to infertility, new research points to environmental factors like road traffic noise and particulate matter (PM2.5) as significant risk factors.
A recent Danish study discovered that road traffic noise raises infertility risks for women over the age of 35 and men over 37. In addition, the study highlighted that PM2.5 exposure affects male fertility between the ages of 30-45. The findings reveal that prolonged exposure to road traffic noise, over five years, is linked to a higher infertility diagnosis among women aged 35 to 45. However, there was no direct association between PM2.5 and infertility in women.
For men, five-year exposure to PM2.5 was associated with a higher risk of infertility across the 30-45 age group, while road noise had a weaker association, specifically impacting those aged 37 to 45. This impact was consistent across rural, suburban, and urban populations, emphasizing that environmental factors play a role in reproductive health regardless of geographical location.
Moreover, the study found that road traffic noise is not only linked to infertility but can also contribute to serious health issues, including primary hypertension. Research published in 2023 in the Journal of American College of Cardiology (JAAC) showed that exposure to traffic noise levels exceeding 65 dBA is associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, increasing the risk of hypertension. A UK Biobank study involving 250,000 participants further confirmed the correlation between road noise and hypertension.
