A class of chemicals called phthalates, which are often used to make plastics more flexible, is damaging fertility rates and leading to genital malformation, says an environmental scientist.
Shanna Swan, Ph.D., professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai, details the health consequences of pollution in her new book “Count Down”, which argues that more babies are being born with penises minors, Sky News reported.
Swan’s research began with rats, finding that rat fetuses exposed to the chemical were more likely to be born with shrunken genitals. Later, Swan found that human male fetuses exposed to phthalates resulted in a decrease in anogenital distance, a measure associated with penis length, according to Sky News. Other findings cited in Swan’s book include a statement that “sperm levels among men in Western countries” have decreased by more than 50%, based on hundreds of studies involving some 45,000 healthy men.
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The statement is not very surprising; Scientists have previously suggested that exposure to the chemical can impair fertility, the health of babies, disrupt hormones essential for development and damage sperm’s genetic material. Phthalates have already been banned in many children’s toys for health reasons.
These chemicals can be found in the manufacture of equipment and have a firm presence in supply chains beyond the food industry. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that phthalates can be found in personal care products, makeup, plastic packaging and more.