Plummeting sperm counts, shrinking penises: toxic chemicals threaten humanity | Erin Brockovich | The Guardian

The end of humankind? It may be coming sooner than we think, thanks to hormone-disrupting chemicals that are decimating fertility at an alarming rate around the globe. A new book called Countdown, by Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, finds that sperm counts have dropped almost 60% since 1973. Following the trajectory we are on, Swan’s research suggests sperm counts could reach zero by 2045. Zero. Let that sink in. That would mean no babies. No reproduction. No more humans. Forgive me for asking: why isn’t the UN calling an emergency meeting on this right now?

The chemicals to blame for this crisis are found in everything from plastic containers and food wrapping, to waterproof clothes and fragrances in cleaning products, to soaps and shampoos, to electronics and carpeting. Some of them, called PFAS, are known as “forever chemicals”, because they don’t breakdown in the environment or the human body. They just accumulate and accumulate – doing more and more damage, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Now, it seems, humanity is reaching a breaking point.

As if this wasn’t terrifying enough, Swan’s research finds that these chemicals aren’t just dramatically reducing semen quality, they are also shrinking penis size and volume of the testes. This is nothing short of a full-scale emergency for humanity.

Given everything we know about these chemicals, why isn’t more being done? Right now, there is a paltry patchwork of inadequate legislation responding to this threat. Laws and regulations vary from country to country, region to region, and, in the United States, state to state. The European Union, for example, has restricted several phthalates in toys and sets limits on phthalates considered “reprotoxic” – meaning they harm the human reproductive capacities – in food production.

In the United States, a scientific study found phthalate exposure “widespread” in infants, and that the chemicals were found in the urine of babies who came into contact with baby shampoos, lotions and powders. Still, aggressive regulation is lacking, not least because of lobbying by chemical industry giants.

Source: Plummeting sperm counts, shrinking penises: toxic chemicals threaten humanity | Erin Brockovich | The Guardian

One thought on “Plummeting sperm counts, shrinking penises: toxic chemicals threaten humanity | Erin Brockovich | The Guardian”

  1. At last some good news! The ‘shrinking’ sperm count has been known about for decades – and the advice back then was for men to wear boxers shorts, instead of tight fitting undies, because the warmer ‘close-knit’ environment was contributing to fewer and smaller sperm cells. So what is now bombarding our TV screens (ad nauseam)? Men (and now women) relentlessly encouraging men to wear tight fitting brightly coloured underwear (shaped like bicycle shorts). FFS, it doesn’t matter what time of day or night – even in my local Medical Centre – those damned ads are shoved in our faces. OTUS, if that means men obsessed with fashion of the day nonsense have less chance of procreating, bring it on. Threaten humanity?!? This is the last of humanity’s worries. Get rid of the brainless breeders and the rest of the flora and fauna can all breathe a sigh of relief.

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