{"id":329,"date":"2026-05-30T11:38:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=329"},"modified":"2026-05-30T11:38:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T11:38:05","slug":"wildfire-smoke-is-affecting-peoples-sperm-and-embryos-studies-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=329","title":{"rendered":"Wildfire Smoke Is Affecting People\u2019s Sperm and Embryos, Studies Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This story was originally published by\u00a0<\/em>High Country News\u00a0and is reproduced here as part of the\u00a0<\/em>Climate Desk\u00a0collaboration.<\/em><\/p>

Read more What Americans Really Think in These Troubled Times<\/a><\/p>\n

Fertility isn\u2019t a topic<\/span> that tends to come up in the macho, male-dominated world of wildland firefighting\u2014at least not according to Jasper Kehoe, 23, who served as a Colorado wildland firefighter for four summers.<\/p>\n

But whenever Kehoe talked about his job in the off-season\u2014working as a student researcher at Colorado State University to\u00a0assess the impact of wildfire smoke on semen\u2014his colleagues\u2019 ears perked up.<\/p>\n

Even more surprising to Kehoe, they wanted to get involved: When he posted about the study in an industry Facebook group, he received more than 150 messages from firefighters who wanted to participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter you get over the stigma of talking about fertility, somewhat of a taboo subject in our community,\u201d Kehoe said, \u201cthese firefighters are concerned with the ability to conceive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kehoe helped recruit 144 wildland firefighters to submit pre-, mid- and post-fire season semen samples over the past year. He hopes that his work helps lead to a greater understanding of smoke\u2019s health consequences, as well as more protections for wildland firefighters and others.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s published later this year or the next, the firefighter study will join a new body of research on how wildfire smoke influences human fertility. In comparison to\u00a0smoke\u2019s effects on pregnancies, it\u2019s a topic that\u2019s been understudied. But with climate change causing more fires, especially in the West, and infertility affecting\u00a01 in 6 people\u00a0worldwide, interest in the field\u00a0is growing. And so far, the results hold some warning signs for Westerners who want to have children.<\/p>\n

Several recent studies involve episodes of poor air quality in the Pacific Northwest. Portlanders, for example, suffered from 10 days of severe smoke from nearby wildfires in 2020. At the time, the city\u2019s\u00a0air quality index, or AQI, almost went off the current scale altogether,\u00a0with ratings near 500\u2014the highest and most dangerous level,\u00a0indicating a health serious health hazard.<\/p>\n

When researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) studied the situation later, comparing before-and-after semen samples from men who\u2019d been undergoing fertility treatment, they discovered that\u00a0the men\u2019s sperm quantity and motility had dropped\u00a0in the months following the smoky air\u2019s sudden arrival.<\/p>\n

Another study, published earlier this year, analyzed semen samples from 84 men before and after smoke events in Seattle in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Following the exposures, the researchers found that most men\u2019s sperm quality and count declined.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe changes we found were fairly subtle, and it\u2019s not yet understood whether these impacts on sperm may translate to a change in pregnancy or truly a change in fertility,\u201d said Tristan Nicholson, an assistant urology professor at the University of Washington and senior author of the paper. \u201cBut I think this has really motivated, for me and others, an interest in expanding this as [an area of] study.\u201d<\/p>\n

The male side of infertility has historically gone underexamined, Nicholson said, and she hopes her research will draw much-needed attention to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMen, my patients, are often the forgotten partner,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of focus on infertility being a women\u2019s problem, and I think it really is beneficial to raise awareness that the male partner has an important contribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

During that same period<\/span> of hazardous air in Portland in 2020, OHSU researchers also examined whether wildfire smoke had any\u00a0impact on embryos made during in vitro fertilization, or IVF.<\/p>

Read more Watch: Is Trump\u2019s Party Stranglehold Actually a Death Grip?<\/a><\/p>\n

As part of that process, female patients undergo about two weeks of drug treatment before their eggs are retrieved and fertilized with sperm. After roughly five days, any resulting embryos are mature enough for transfer into the patient\u2019s uterus.<\/p>\n

For this retrospective study, the researchers grouped IVF patients according to when in their cycle the smoke episode occurred: in the weeks prior to their egg retrieval, during their embryos\u2019 development, or after their embryos had already matured.<\/p>\n

The patients whose embryos developed during the period of hazardous air were far more likely to find that none of their embryos did well enough to be suitable for transfer. Those whose embryos did mature ended up with a median number of two\u201455 percent fewer than those whose embryos had finished growing prior to the episode.<\/p>\n

Even though the lab had several filters, its air still smelled faintly of smoke, said Molly Kornfield, an IVF doctor and the study\u2019s lead author. Her new lab has a \u201csubmarine mode\u201d that can prevent outside air from entering at the press of a button.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kornfield said it\u2019s well-known that long-term exposure to bad air can harm fertility. But she was alarmed to see that \u201ceven this acute episode of only 10 days\u2014which, of course, is really severe\u2014can have a negative impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, she cautioned that the study had a small sample size. And some of the results were unexpected: Patients who had been exposed to poor air during the weeks before their eggs\u2019 retrieval did not see significant harm to their embryos\u2019 development. Kornfield, who was surprised by that finding, said it underscored the need for more research.<\/p>\n

Nicholson agreed. One big question, she said, is whether fertility can bounce back following severe smoke events\u2014and if so, how long it takes. Such information, she said, would help aspiring parents know just how cautious to be.<\/p>\n

At the moment, the government\u2019s\u00a0air-quality recommendations\u00a0have stricter guidelines for \u201csensitive groups,\u201d a category that includes children, older adults, pregnant people and those with heart or lung issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I wonder, and I don\u2019t know yet, is whether people who are trying to conceive, who are trying to start their families, should fall into that category,\u201d Nicholson said. \u201cBut I would advise patients to avoid wildfire smoke exposure, given what we know so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of fertility goals, Westerners should monitor air quality using a reliable data source like\u00a0airnow.gov. To reduce exposure to unhealthy air, consider limiting outdoor time, keeping windows and doors shut, and wearing an N-95 mask when venturing out.<\/p>\n

People who live in smoke-prone areas should consider investing in an indoor air purifier and changing the filters regularly. If that\u2019s not financially possible, some cities have programs that help residents buy or borrow purifiers for fire season. It\u2019s also relatively easy to\u00a0build an air filter\u00a0using a box fan and other materials.<\/p>\n

After spending years researching the impacts of smoke as an undergraduate student, Kehoe started washing his hands and face as often as he could while on the fire line. He also tried to avoid getting into his sleeping bag when he was dirty. Back home in Kansas City, Missouri, he now has air purifiers running 24\/7.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still a lot left to learn. But one thing has come through the smoke: Breathing it in doesn\u2019t seem great for anybody.<\/p>

Read more Watch: The Violent ICE Crackdown Comes to New Jersey<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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