The end of mankind? It may come faster than we think, thanks to hormone-disrupting chemicals that reduce fertility at an alarming rate around the world. A new book called Countdown, by Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in New York, finds that sperm counts have dropped nearly 60% since 1973. Following the trajectory we are on, Swan’s research indicates that sperm counts could reach zero by 2045. Zero. Let it sink in. That means no babies. No reproduction. No more people. Forgive me for asking: why is the UN not convening an emergency meeting on this now?
The chemicals that are to blame for this crisis are found in everything from plastic containers and food packaging, to waterproof clothing and fragrances in cleaning products, to soaps and shampoos, to electronics and carpets. Some of them, called PFAS, are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not degrade in the environment or the human body. They just collect and collect – do more and more damage, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Now humanity seems to be reaching a breaking point.
Swan’s book is staggering in its findings. “In some parts of the world, the average twentieth woman today is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35,” writes Swan. In addition, Swan finds that, on average, a man today will have half the sperm his grandfather had. “The current state of reproductive affairs cannot continue much longer without threatening human survival,” Swan wrote, adding: “This is a global existential crisis.” This is not hyperbole. This is just science.
As if that’s not scary enough, Swan’s research finds that these chemicals not only dramatically reduce sperm quality, but also shrink the penis’ size and volume from the testicles. This is nothing but an emergency for mankind.
Swan’s research reflects previous research, which found that PFASs impair sperm production and disrupt the male hormone. Andrea Di Nisio, a biologist who co-authored a paper on the health consequences of PFAS, said: “The structures of testosterone and PFAS are very, very similar,” and said: “We have said : ‘They look the same, so maybe PFAS acts like testosterone in the cell. “And they did it. These chemicals literally confuse our bodies and cause them to send mixed messages and dazzle.
Given everything we know about these chemicals, is there no more being done? At present, there is a meager patchwork of inadequate legislation responding to this planetary crisis. Laws and regulations vary from country to country, region to region, and in the United States to state. The European Union, for example, has restricted various phthalates in toys and imposes restrictions on phthalates that are considered ‘reproductive’ – meaning that they impair human reproductive capacity – in food production.
In the United States, a scientific study found that phthalate exposure is ‘widespread’ in infants, as the chemicals are found in the urine of infants who come in contact with specially designed baby shampoos, lotions and powders. Yet aggressive regulation is lacking, not least due to lobbying by giants in the chemical industry.
In the state of Washington, lawmakers are succeeding in enacting the Pollution Prevention Act for our future, which instructs government agencies to address classes of chemicals and move away from a chemical agent through a chemical approach, which historically led to businesses switching to equally bad or worse. substitutes. The first chemical classes addressed in products include phthalates, PFASs, PCBs, alkiphenol ethoxylate and bisphenol compounds, and organohalogen flame retardants. The state has taken important steps to address the extent of chemical pollution, but in general the United States, like many other countries, is fighting a losing battle due to weak, inadequate legislation.
In the United States, for example, you can not eat the deer meat caught in Oscoda, Michigan, as the Department of Health has issued a “do not eat” advice for deer caught near the former air force base due to an incredibly high PFOS levels in the muscle of one deer.
And just the other week, hundreds of residents living near the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona were advised not to drink their water when tests detected high levels of toxic chemicals. Scientists have found these substances in the blood of almost all the people who have tested them in the US. No country or region on earth has been affected by PFAS pollution. This is a global problem. PFAS is found in every corner of the globe. It is virtually present in the bodies of every human being. It is found in fish deep in the sea and birds that fly high in the air.
And it literally kills us by harming and attacking the source of life: our reproductive capacity. The rapid death and deterioration of sperm needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed now. There is simply no time to lose.