{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T05:04:52Z","timestamp":1790831092550,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","funder":[{"name":"Environmental Health Research Fund of the Chinese University of Hong Kong"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Occup Environ Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>Environmental exposure to chemicals has been considered a potential factor contributing to deteriorated semen quality. However, previous literature on exposure to air pollution and semen quality is inconsistent. We therefore investigated the health effects of short-term and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>) on semen quality in Taiwanese men from the general population.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 6475 male participants aged 15\u201349 years who participated in a standard medical examination programme in Taiwan between 2001 and 2014. Semen quality was assessed according to the WHO 1999 guidelines, including sperm concentration, total motility, progressive motility and morphology. Three-month and 2-year average PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>concentrations were estimated at each participant\u2019s address using a spatiotemporal model based on satellite-derived aerosol optical depth data. Multivariable linear and logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>and semen quality.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A robust association was observed between exposure to PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>and decreased normal morphology. Every increment of 5\u2009\u00b5g\/m<jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>in 2-year average PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>was significantly associated with a decrease of 1.29% in sperm normal morphology and a 26% increased risk of having the bottom 10% of sperm normal morphology, after adjusting for a wide range of potential confounders (p&lt;0.001). On the other hand, an increment of 5\u2009\u00b5g\/m<jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>in 2-year average PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>was associated with an increase of 1.03\u00d710<jats:sup>6<\/jats:sup>\/mL in sperm concentration and a 10% decreased risk of being the bottom 10% of sperm concentration (both p&lt;0.001). Similar results were found for 3-month PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Exposure to ambient PM<jats:sub>2.5<\/jats:sub>air pollution is associated with a lower level of sperm normal morphology and a higher level of sperm concentration.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/oemed-2017-104529","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,11,13]],"date-time":"2017-11-13T23:55:10Z","timestamp":1510617310000},"page":"148-154","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":76,"title":["Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and semen quality in Taiwan"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"75","author":[{"given":"Xiang Qian","family":"Lao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zilong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexis K H","family":"Lau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ta-Chien","family":"Chan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuan Chieh","family":"Chuang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jimmy","family":"Chan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Changqing","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cui","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wun Kai","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tony","family":"Tam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gerard","family":"Hoek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haidong","family":"Kan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eng-kiong","family":"Yeoh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ly-yun","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,11,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"2020050723001707000_75.2.148.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1001356"},{"key":"2020050723001707000_75.2.148.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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