Relationship between air pollution and human fertility: a review

Air pollution has been shown to be significantly associated with population health, and recent studies have further revealed that air pollution may potentially have a negative impact on human fertility. The study comprehensively reviews biological mechanism and the quantitative evaluation of the effects of air pollution on human fertility. The results point out negative impacts of air pollution on human fertility; however the results are comparatively inconsistent and a few literatures focused on developing countries. Studies on biological mechanisms of air pollutants on fertility, especially for women, and ecological studies are insufficient. The study also proposes that in the future, the research of biological mechanisms should be strengthened; air pollution and human fertility in developing countries should be paid special attention to; cohort data should be enriched; the application of ecological methods could be improved to provide solid references for China to control negative impacts of air pollutants on human fertility.