In addition to our climate, plastic, and pandemic crises, humanity is going through a reproductive crisis. Toxic chemicals (phthalates and PFAS) found in everything everywhere are shrinking penises and plummeting sperm counts – in other words, pollution is pushing us to the end of humankind.
Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who wrote the book “Count Down,” says hormone-disrupting substances are abolishing fertility at an alarming rate worldwide. Sperm counts have dropped nearly 60% since 1973! Her research suggests the counts could reach zero before mid-century (by 2045) – meaning no more babies and no more humans.
A separate analysis published in 2017 found that Western men’s sperm levels had dropped by over 50% over the past 40 years. It examined 185 studies involving almost 45,000 healthy men.
The chemicals are found in food wrapping, plastic containers, waterproof clothes, carpeting, cleaning products, shampoos, soaps, fragrances, and electronics. Some (PFASs) are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the human body or the environment. These PFAS chemicals accumulate without limit, doing more damage day by day.
Swan writes:
“In some parts of the world, the average twentysomething woman today is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35.”
And (on average) a man today will have half the sperm his grandfather had.
Dr. Swan continues:
“The current state of reproductive affairs can’t continue much longer without threatening human survival. It’s a global existential crisis.”
This is a full-scale emergency for humanity.
Dr. Swan found that phthalates are causing babies to be born with smaller penises and malformed genitals – a condition called phthalate syndrome. Phthalates are used when manufacturing plastics to make the material more flexible. It impacts the hormone-producing endocrine system.
Dr. Swan’s research backs up previous work that found PFAS harms sperm production and disrupts the male hormone, affecting semen quality, penile length, and testicular volume.
Phthalates and PFAS are confusing the human body, making it send mixed messages and wig out. Phthalates, in particular, mimic the hormone estrogen, which disrupts the natural production of hormones and thus interferes in an infant’s sexual development and adult behaviors.
Unfortunately, there’s inadequate legislation because of lobbying by chemical industry giants, so not much is done about these chemicals. Regulations and laws vary from region to region. In the EU, several phthalates have been restricted in toys, and limits have been set in food production. In the US, Washington state lawmakers managed to pass the Pollution Prevention for Our Future Act, which:
“…directs state agencies to address classes of chemicals and moves away from a chemical-by-chemical approach, which has historically resulted in companies switching to equally bad or worse substitutes. The first chemical classes to be addressed in products include phthalates, PFAS, PCBs, alkyphenol ethoxylate and bisphenol compounds, and organohalogen flame retardants.”
But it’s the only state to take action. Most other countries aren’t doing anything, either. Yet, these “reprotoxins” are virtually present in the bodies of every person on the planet. They’re even found in fish, birds, and other animals. And they’re killing us all by crippling the very source of life: our ability to reproduce.
Men have already lost half their sperm, and the decline isn’t stopping. There’s no time to lose; we have to address this crisis now.
