Does Exposure to Smoke From Wildfires Impact the Reproductive Health of Male Firefighters?
For a two-year study on the impacts of wildfire smoke on reproductive health, a group of Colorado State University researchers is looking to recruit 100 active male wildland firefighters.
Lead researcher Luke Montrose, an assistant professor in CSU’s Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, previously found a link between wildfire smoke exposure and altered sperm in mice. For the new study, the researchers will examine semen samples taken from participants before, during, and after the wildfire season to look at sperm count, motility, and evidence of epigenetic changes.
The group also intends to create customized reproductive health messaging for wildland firefighting personnel. In a press release, researcher Ashley Anderson, an associate professor in CSU’s Department of Journalism and Media Communication, stated that such messaging has “historically been generic and needs to improve.”
“Our intention as a research group,” Montrose said in the release, “at a time when wildfires are getting worse and we need more firefighters than ever, is to be good stewards of risk communication and to help firefighters feel like they are able to do their job in a way that does not sacrifice important things like being able to create a family.”
