A new study has found environmental contaminants found in the home and diet can increase the risk of male infertility in humans and dogs.
Researchers came to this conclusion after studying the effects of two man-made chemicals. The first is a common plasticiser DEHP that is widely used in the home on carpets and clothes. The second is an industrial chemical polychlorinated biphenyl 153. Even though it is banned across the globe, it is detectable in food and the environment. The team used samples of sperm from men and dogs to carry out the exact same experiment.
Researchers believe man-made chemicals could be more harmful than we realise.
"This new study supports our theory that the domestic dog is indeed a 'sentinel' or mirror for human male reproductive decline. Our findings suggest man-made chemicals, widely used in home and working environment, may be responsible for the decline in sperm quality," lead author Richard Lea from the University of Nottingham, Britain, told a news portal.
The new study sheds new light on the decline over the past few years in sperm quality in both species.
"We know when human sperm motility is poor, DNA fragmentation is increased and that human male infertility is linked to increased levels of DNA damage in sperm," co-author Rebecca Sumner, postdoctoral student at the University of Nottingham, Britain, told a news portal. Adding, "We now believe this is the same in pet dogs because they live in the same domestic environment and are exposed to the same household contaminants," Sumner said.
The study's findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
