Shanghai sperm bank falls short on quality

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2005

SHANGHAI (AFP) — Fast and stressful living in China's most developed city Shanghai has health officials fretting about the declining quality of residents' sperm, state media said.

Recent tests at the Shanghai sperm bank showed that good sperm is shrinking fast due to unhealthy, stressed-out city lifestyles, including the consumption of food with additives, and severe pollution, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The sperm bank, one of five in China, has collected just 6,000 samples in two years and "only 400 were found to be qualified," Li Zheng, the facility's director, was quoted as saying.

"More than 60 percent washed out due to (poor) sperm quality," Li said.

Deposits were also declining due to a lack of willing donors, posing further difficulties for...