Vehicle Exhaust Fumes Could Be Causing Problems in the Bedroom

More than any other real or imaginary reason that electric car advocates should use to put an end to the internal combustion engine, this should top the list.

“…the role of ambient air pollutant emissions in public sexual health is just beginning to be understood and remains controversial” goes the introduction to a study recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The study examined the role of exhaust fumes from petrol-powered vehicle in causing erectile dysfunction…in RATS.

The lab rats were exposed to VE emissions produced using a 125cc Wuyang motorcycle made by the Guangzhou Automobile Group. 30 rats were divided into three groups and were exposed daily to the fumes for two, four and six hours respectively for 3 months. This model recreates daily exposure to exhaust fumes that might be experienced by humans.

The results: the rats that were in the four- and six-hour groups experienced symptoms that led to ED, besides increased risk in multiple diseases, including decreased lower lung capacity. The remainder 10 control rats that weren’t exposed to vehicle exhausts had normal erectile function—those lucky rodents.

We will not go into detail on how the researchers from Guangzhou Medical University measured erectile function in rats, but it involves electrical stimulation.

According to the study, the “deleterious effect of VE on penile erection” is due to “systemic inflammation, pulmonary dysfunction and the reduction of nitric oxide synthase activity in the corpus cavernosum”.

Unfortunate for the rats, but how does that translate for human males? The results suggest that the location of your home or the condition of your daily commute could have an indirect impact on your bedroom activities. If you have problems in that area and your house is located on main roads where traffic is heavy or your daily commute involves inhaling plenty of VE, you might have just discovered the cause of your bedroom woes.

The researchers did say that the concentration of the pollutants used during the study is too high (compared to real-world situations). Also, it could also just be the affected respiratory functions that led to the compromised erectile function—after all, we all, whether humans and rats, need to be able to breathe properly to get it on.