MUMBAI: Researchers at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) found that exposure to high levels of air pollution and contaminated groundwater is disrupting the reproductive timelines of Indian women.The researchers combined data of hundreds of thousands of women from the National Family Health Survey (2019-2021) with satellite-derived PM2.5 data to establish air pollution links. They also pulled in official govt records on groundwater quality and used specialised satellite imagery to map the ratio of green cover to bare land across different neighbourhoods.The study, published as an unedited manuscript in the journal Nature, found that the link between air pollution and disrupted reproductive timing is strongest in northern India, where pollution levels are highest. While north and central India naturally have a slightly later average age for the start of menstruation (13.7 years compared with 12.5 years in the northeast), toxic air and groundwater are pushing these biological timelines even further from the norm.The sample size for this study included 1,79,972 women aged 15-24 years for menarche and 2,97,811 women aged 30-49 years for menopause.Professor Aparajita Chattopadhyay, lead author of the study from the Department of Population & Development, said that while menopause is occurring earlier on average due to environmental pollution, this trend does not necessarily apply to women who undergo hysterectomies at a relatively younger age. “In those cases, timing is mainly influenced by other [social or medical] factors rather than environmental exposure,” she noted.Furthermore, groundwater contamination in southern states and Maharashtra has been identified as a culprit for these biological disruptions. Researchers noted that regions across the west and south are particularly vulnerable to poor water quality, linking high levels of arsenic and fluoride in the water to both delayed menarche and earlier menopause.There is, however, a silver lining. Dr. Chattopadhyay noted that a potential antidote to these environmental stressors is as simple as “increasing the green cover”. The study found a direct correlation between proximity to nature and healthier, more stable reproductive timelines.
