Is there a link between environmental toxins and infertility?
Although scientists and others speculate that infertility can result from exposure to any of a number of environmental toxins, the evidence is scarce and inconclusive, especially in women. For example, researchers have shown that average sperm density (number of sperm per milliliter of semen) has declined dramatically over the past 60 years all over the world. It has been dropping steadily at 1 to 3 million sperm per milliliter per year, from more than 100 million sperm per milliliter in 1938 to less than 70 million sperm per milliliter in 1990. It is not exactly clear what has caused the decline, but it may be at least partially linked to exposure to various environmental toxins. Importantly, many scientists argue that it is not clear whether reduced sperm density causes infertility or not and that even though sperm density has been on the decline, it may not mean anything with regards to infertility. The link between environmental exposure and infertility remains an important area of
