Falling sperm counts could 'wipe out humans'

Sperm counts among men around the world have more than halved, leading to fears the human race could face extinction unless a solution is found, according to new research.

Scientists examining nearly 200 studies from the last 40 years say sperm counts have halved among men from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

"Between 1973 and 2011, the concentration of sperm in the ejaculate of men in western countries has fallen by an average of 1.4 per cent a year, leading to an overall drop of just over 52 per cent," The Guardian says.

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Lead author Hagai Levine, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said: "This is a classic under-the-radar huge public health problem that is really neglected. The results are quite shocking."

He added: "If we will not change the ways that we are living and the environment and the chemicals that we are exposed to, I am very worried about what will happen in the future.

"Eventually we may have a problem and with reproduction in general. It may be the extinction of the human species."

However, Professor Rob McLachlan, from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, said it was "too soon to know if the fall in sperm count would be reflected in natural conception rates", reports ABC News.

He said: "This latest analysis presents the challenge to identify and address potential negative impactors on male fertility such as lifestyle, obesity and comorbidities that are rising in developed countries particularly and generally the role of environmental toxicants for which there is certainly evidence in more select populations."

The BBC adds that "no significant decline was seen in South America, Asia and Africa", possibly because "far fewer studies have been conducted on these continents".