Cryptorchidism is a condition in which one or both testicles have not descended into the scrotum by birth. The study on this issue took place in France. From 2002 to 2014, experts identified 89,382 cases where boys under seven years old had surgery to fix this. Since then, this issue has risen by 36 percent. The team found a relation between pollution and cryptorchidism. Most of the cases in France were found in coal mining and metal-working areas. Exposure to these chemicals is harmful. Most people are aware of pollution’s effect on our lungs, but who would have known this?
Cryptorchidism normally solves itself within the first year of boys’ lives. However, more issues can be created from it:
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Fertility issues
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High risk of cancer
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Mental health problems
Next, the environment is a big reason for this issue. “The industrial activities identified in the clusters are potentially the source of persistent environmental pollution by metals, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs,” says Joëlle Le Moal. PCBs affect boys’ testicles because they affect hormones. Lens, a city in France in the French department Pas de Calais, is a former coal mining area. There was a former smelter in the area explaining the big cluster of 1,244 cases. In Pas de Calais, the risk of being born with one undescended testicle was 50% higher than average. The risk of being born with two was almost five times higher than the national level.
Other factors include:
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Maternal smoking
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Premature births
In conclusion, there has been a drop in males’ reproductive health. Pollution is a factor that can cause cryptorchidism. Industrialized areas do expose people to more chemicals. However, pollution is not the only factor. Richard Sharpe is a reproductive health expert. He says, “The main focus of research in this area over the past 20+ years has been on chemicals to which most of the population is lowly exposed via food rather than those more associated with proximity to heavy industry.” There is still a lot to research that needs to be done on Cryptorchidism.