Name: Plummeting sperm counts are threatening the future of human existence, and plastics could be to blame
Brand: insider.com
SKU: insider-com-131
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Plummeting sperm counts are threatening the future of human existence, and plastics could be to blame

preview

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox.Something is loading.Shanna Swan is obsessed with studying the length between babies' genitals and their anuses.That's because Swan is an epidemiologist who's spent two decades researching how our lifestyles and the environments in which we live mess with our hormones and reproductive abilities.The distance between a person's genitals and their butthole, also called anogenital distance or AGD, is one of the best indicators of reproductive potential and chemical exposure in the womb, Swan explains in her new book As around the world, a trend that could eventually result in human species endangerment, Swan's book offers insights into why men in Western countries now have half the baby-making potential as their grandparents.She also explains what we can do now to avoid altering fetus' reproductive potential in the womb, and to protect our health in a world filled with plastics and chemicals.Swan got her start researching how chemicals, contaminated water, and drugs impacted human health.So, when she saw&nbsp;a that found sperm counts around the world were decreasing at an alarming rate,&nbsp;she pivoted to research&nbsp;whether the paper's author Elisabeth Carlsen was onto something, or if it was bogus.Swan set out on a six-month research stint with two colleagues, reviewing&nbsp;all of the studies Carlsen used in her analysis, looking for confounding factors and biases that could've skewed the alarming data.Instead, she found that Carlsen's claims held."Not only have I shifted from being dubious to being utterly convinced that a dramatic decline in sperm counts is occurring, I've also discovered that various lifestyle factors and environmental exposures may be acting in tandem or in a cumulative fashion to fuel the decline," Swan wrote in "Count Down."Swan found a lifestyle factors like smoking, using antidepressant medication, lack of exercise, and heightened stress could lower both men and women's reproductive abilities.Even more alarming, Swan found invisible chemicals in plastic water bottles, the dust on shelves, and adhesives most humans come into contact with every day could also mess with reproductive health in grownups, children, and unborn babies.Phthalates, a type of chemical found in plastic manufacturing parts, are one of the biggest culprits, according to Swan.That's because they in the body. In turn, that disruption can contribute to obesity, lower IQs, premature birth. As Swan found, it can also decrease testosterone production, lower sperm counts, decrease fertility, and contribute to smaller penis size.These endocrine disruptors can affect babies as they grow in the womb, if the person carrying them has been exposed to chemicals, according to Swan and They can also be passed onto babies in breast milk, said Swan."Babies are now entering the world already contaminated with chemicals because of the substances they absorb in the womb," she wrote.Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.Subscribe to push notificationsAn icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.Keep readingIt indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox.Something is loading.Shanna Swan is obsessed with studying the length between babies' genitals and their anuses.That's because Swan is an epidemiologist who's spent two decades researching how our lifestyles and the environments in which we live mess with our hormones and reproductive...

public

Julia Naftulin

What you want to know. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Visit our homepage for the day's top stories.

Plummeting sperm counts are threatening the future of human existence, and plastics could be to blame

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS