By: Dr. Nicholas K. Christoforidis
MD, MSc, FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Fertility Specialist, Co-Founder & Clinical Director of Embryolab
It is with great concern that we note a systematic increase in the volume of medical literature linking exposure to environmental pollutants with infertility and reproductive health problems in general. However, for the majority of people of reproductive age, this correlation is little known, and it has only recently begun to reach health professionals, particularly specialists in reproductive medicine and assisted reproduction.
This was the main reason that prompted the scientific working group at Embryolab Fertility Clinic, under the name “Planet Be”, to plan and communicate an awareness campaign with the same title, aiming to send a clear message about environmental pollutants that act as hormone disruptors.
The “Planet Be” awareness campaign began in the spring of 2025 with press conferences and events open to the general public, pioneering in Greece on issues related to environmental health and human reproduction. The Planet Be scientific team referred to pollutants in the atmosphere, water, food, as well as the presence of endocrine disruptors and microplastics in objects we come into contact with every day in a multitude of daily activities, both in our home environment and in the outside environment, from the air we breathe in the cities we live in to the ubiquitous prevalence of persistent chemicals and nanoplastics.
However, the Planet Be campaign does not limit its mission to informing and raising awareness about the environmental pollutants that surround us in our daily lives. The broader goal of the Planet Be scientific team is to propose measures to limit exposure to environmental pollutants, as well as ways to mitigate the negative effects of exposure to these pollutants. In this way, the public is beginning to familiarize themselves with the most common pollutants, such as airborne particulate matter, heavy metals in water, phthalates, and bisphenols in various everyday plastic products, but also are starting to adopt effective strategies to protect themselves from the side effects that have been recorded, for example by installing appropriate air and water filters, replacing plastic with metal or glass containers, or following a healthier lifestyle, exercise, and diet to strengthen the immune system and better eliminate toxins that enter the human body.
