Infertility and its relationship with NO2pollution in Iran from 2009 to 2012

Abstract

Background: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences scientists show that long-term exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of infertility. NO 2 factor is considered as one of the underlying causes of infertility diseases. This study aimed to determine the association of infertility diseases documented in medical records and NO 2 accumulation in Iran. By plotting the prevalence and spatial distribution maps, important differences from different points can be observed. Materials and Methods: In this study, the first challenge was to collect some relevant information. In this connection, the authors managed to gain access to data concerning infertility in Iran. The data, which had been collected by Country Health Centre, provided information from 2009 to 2012. To measure spatial distribution of NO 2 pollutions we used ozone monitoring instrument. Using geographic information system (GIS), the researchers drew the map of the spatial distribution of infertility in the country and then we used Neural Network model (NN) to obtain relation between air-pollution and infertility data, that NO 2 data obtained using zonal statistics in GIS. Results: Space with tracing the distribution of infertility diseases was scattered based on the distribution of NO 2 pollution in the points is an important part of this type of diseases in Iran where air-pollution was more abundant. Finding: The findings of this study emphasis on the importance of preventing the exposure to air-pollution, and to control air-pollution producing industries, to improve work environmental health, and to increase the health professionals and public knowledge in this regard. Conclusion: The analysis revealed to what extent NO 2 explained the observed infertility incidence values. NN analyses were performed (at the 99% confidence level in training data and 88% in validation).