Articles by Caitlin Fitzsimmons

Technology

PFAS pollution lowers sperm count in mice, alters their embryos: study

“If we can take away all the excuses that [research] doesn’t perfectly mimic what’s going on outside, then maybe what we could find might help fill that gap, and we’ll be able to better actually provide information or knowledge to these individuals who are making these big decisions,” Martin said. “In terms of it being diluted, it depends on where you’re getting it because not only could you be exposed in the environment, but you could be exposed from your workplace, from the things that we’re buying in the shop, a non-stick pan or waterproof clothing, for example. You wouldn’t necessarily just be getting it from that one source.” The work backs up global retrospective analysis that suggests PFAS can disrupt human fertility, including reduced hormones and sperm count, but also reveals a potential new avenue of harm – that paternal PFAS exposure alone could have consequences for children, even if the children themselves are not directly exposed. The researchers used the sperm from the exposed male mice to fertilise eggs from females that had not been exposed, and these early embryos showed abnormal gene expression that could affect birth weights.