Dad’s exposure to chemicals can impact his kid’s health
While the effect of maternal lifestyle and in utero exposures is well studied, paternal epigenetic inheritance has been largely ignored. But new research by the EU-funded PATER project suggests that the father’s environment can also have a significant effect on a child’s health. “When a sperm fertilises an egg, not only is DNA delivered, the effects that exposure to various environmental factors – such as chemicals, stress and lifestyle decisions – may have caused are also passed on to subsequent generations,” says Oskar Karlsson, research leader at the SciLifeLab, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University(opens in new window), the project’s coordinating partner. This finding is particularly concerning considering that the use of chemicals has increased dramatically in recent years. That’s why the PATER project specifically focused on how, through epigenetic inheritance, a father’s exposure to anti-androgenic pollutants can affect the health of his offspring. Anti-androgenic pollutants are chemicals found in the environment that interfere with the body’s male sex hormones by blocking the androgen receptor. Epigenetic inheritance is how acquired traits, influenced by environmental factors, can be passed down through generations without changing the underlying DNA sequence.
Concrete evidence of paternal epigenetic inheritance
Using both frogs and mice, the European Research Council(opens in new window) supported project employed a combination of approaches, including molecular, toxicological and epigenomic testing. What they found was concrete evidence of paternal epigenetic inheritance in vertebrates. “Our research demonstrates that paternal chemical exposures can indeed alter a sperm’s epigenetic marks, inducing health effects in offspring and even grand-offspring,” explains Karlsson. In frogs, researchers showed that pesticide exposure can reduce fertility and alter metabolism across generations. In the mice, they highlighted how exposure to a common plasticiser causes metabolic and immune dysfunction that persists in unexposed offspring. The project also uncovered some of the molecular mechanisms behind these effects, such as changes in sperm biomolecules, that link paternal exposure to heritable offspring outcomes.
Advancing science, gender equality and social fairness
According to Karlsson, these findings are helping to inform and reshape discussions about reproductive health among scientists and policymakers. “By emphasising the long-term consequences that a father’s exposure can have on offspring health, the project challenges the traditional narrative that only mothers are responsible for a child’s health outcomes,” he adds. “In doing so, not only has PATER contributed to science, it also helps advance gender equality and social fairness.” Highlighting the need for multigenerational toxicity testing and male pre-conceptional health awareness, the project also supports EU objectives in public health, chemical safety and environmental protection. For example, a key achievement of the project has been its strong engagement with the public and with policymakers – an engagement that has helped translate complex scientific findings into accessible messages about how a father’s environment can directly impact the health and well-being of his children and grandchildren. “We hope this dialogue will continue to inspire both awareness and action, fostering more equitable discussions about reproductive health and stronger protection from harmful environmental pollutants,” concludes Karlsson. While PATER has always openly shared its findings even before publication to accelerate progress in this emerging area, the research team is now finalising several high-impact publications based on the project’s latest data.
