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Some water experts fear that a long-held aspiration to develop more water in the Upper Colorado River Basin is creating another chance to let politics and not science lead the way on river management.
Continued population growth needs to be halted to reach an ecologically sustainable future. Increased foreign aid could help.
Some economists say a shrinking workforce threatens China's chances of overtaking the U.S. as the world's largest economy. China's workforce is expected to shrink by more than 0.5% a year, as fewer young people replace a growing number of retirees.
Epidemiologist Shanna Swan says low counts and changes to sexual development could endanger human species
Pete Myers: Our failure on fertility
25 February
Your hormones have been hijacked.
<p>Your body's astonishing, finely calibrated signal system – a system that controls everything from your weight to your fertility to your mood – has been scrambled by loosely regulated chemicals manufacturers use in a myriad of ways including in consumer products.</p><p>These hijackers – known to scientists as "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" – are threatening our existence as a species. Driving this problem are chemical companies focused only on cheap plastics and regulators unwilling to do anything about it.</p><p>I know that sounds dramatic. I wish it weren't true. But thousands of rigorous research projects costing hundreds of millions of dollars over the past two decades has made it clear.</p><p>Male fertility is dropping precipitously, and it is clear that these chemicals are at the heart of it. I'm half the man my grandfather was, and my grandsons will be half the man I am. In some countries, half of all couples seeking pregnancy require medical intervention.</p><p>This is what's so important about a ground-breaking book on fertility, <a href="https://www.shannaswan.com/" target="_blank">"Count Down,"</a> published this week by Shanna Swan, my good friend and a pioneering reproductive epidemiologist at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine. She lays out, in vivid detail, the environmental factors contributing to dropping fertility rates worldwide.</p><p>Grounded in irrefutable science and laced with dry, engaging wit, this epic book asks monumental questions. If you dream of children, grandchildren and generations beyond, you must read it.</p><p>But the problems with endocrine-disrupting chemicals do not stop at our bodies.</p>
<p><em>Pete Myers is the founder and chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org and DailyClimate.org.</em></p><p><em>Banner photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2364734203/in/photolist-4AXT6n-29ZYgJq-HtCWCA-7gYTRv-62y6vE-7DTQ8q-gTpQZW-62y5SQ-62tQFR-gTpNA7-62tQDR-26kAneN-2kgwfsn-2kgwEpB-2kgwEfD-2kgwEqy-2kgsuKR-2kgsuDU-2kgwfAd-2kgwEbk-2kgwfjb-2kgsuxM-9YSWx6-2kgwftz-D7tmfp-2kgwfh7-5zgmsa-2kgwfsN-2kgwfvo-2kgsuCg-2kgwfmF-29ZYVKq-2kgwfnT-2kgsuF7-2kgsuJU-2kgwEmv-2kgwfop-2kgwfu1-KrpXtc-2kgsuA2-2kgsuME-gTq5B6-2kgsuP3-a92xDd-5vWCUV-2kgwfjS-4cckG-gTpXW2-gTqKLM-CfeUe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scott Maxwell/flickr</a></em></p>
Web of life at risk
<p>The web of life on which we depend is also at risk, as these chemicals work their way through sensitive and complex ecosystems. For example, insect populations are collapsing worldwide, and the science shows that these chemicals are playing a significant role in this. When combined with climate change and habitat destruction, the pressures are enormous.</p><p>We also know that early exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals reduces IQ. To paraphrase another scientist, we may not be smart enough to solve this problem before we realize how bad it is.</p><p>Our hospitals are full of patients whose chronic diseases are triggered and/or worsened by endocrine-disrupting chemical's, including diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Setting aside for the moment the astonishing emotional cost of not being able to conceive or being saddled with chronic, debilitating illnesses, the impact on our national health, productivity and health care costs is clearly in the hundreds of billions of dollars.</p><p>My granddaughter, now 2 years old, was born in Alta Bates Hospital in Oakland, California, two months premature. The plastics in the devices that were used to save her life were essential. Yet I'd bet a year's salary that the reason she was born prematurely is that my daughter was living in San Francisco during the fires in Paradise, California, of early November 2018, when thousands of pounds of plastics burned for days and coated the Bay Area with their smoke. [For more, watch the <a href="http://bit.ly/JPMPlasticSummit" target="_blank">short video</a> below.]</p>The need for reform
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0b4b462427467ecfb693478370c1af21"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OifnPOAolLw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p> We need different materials. We need to test those that we use now. Not a single plastic molecule now in our environment has been fully tested for endocrine-disrupting properties. Not a single one. </p><p> At Environmental Health Sciences, we've been working to reform regulatory science for decades. We know that the Food and Drug Administration is using inaccurate standards for testing derived from 16th century science. We know that tiny amounts of these chemicals can corrupt hormonal responses. The high dose testing used by the FDA are utterly incapable of detecting these low dose effects. Hence federal regulatory standards—what is safe and what is not—are laughable and irrelevant to human health.</p><p> We need all sectors of our economy and society involved in this. Every single victory we've had in this work has included demand for safer materials and better products from the end consumer. It is an absurd situation that we live in this First World economy, where any number of conveniences and products are available, yet we remain awash with endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are hijacking our most sensitive and essential human functions. </p><p> Please excuse my scientific jargon - but that's just nuts. Dr. Swan's book shows how high the stakes are. </p>
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On fertility, we are running out of time.
And the growing number of plastics in our lives are accelerating the crunch.
<p>That's the core message in a pair of webinars this week on humanity's infertility crisis, centered around Tuesday's publication of "<a href="https://www.shannaswan.com/" target="_blank">Count Down</a>," by reproductive health expert Dr. Shanna Swan.</p><p>Worldwide, sperm counts have declined 50 percent in males the past 50 years, Swan noted. Other key aspects of human fertility – miscarriages, testosterone levels, premature egg depletion, difficulty conceiving – are all changing at a similar rate.</p><p>The data worldwide are so clear and so consistent, Swan noted on a webinar hosted by <a href="https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/ppc-webinar-022421" target="_blank">Plastic Pollution Coalition</a> Wednesday, that the trend is unmistakable: by 2045 median sperm counts in men are headed toward zero.</p><p>"This means that half the men would have zero" viable sperm, Swan said, "and the rest would have very close to zero."</p><p>"We want to push this curve in a direction that keeps it from hitting zero."</p>
<p><em>Watch the Collaborative on Health and Environment <a href="https://www.healthandenvironment.org/webinars/96557" target="_blank">webinar here</a>.</em></p><p><em>The Plastic Pollution Coalition webinar on whether humanity will survive plastic pollution will be <a href="https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/webinars" target="_blank">available here in about a week</a>, according to organizers.</em></p><p><em>Editor's note: Dr. Shanna Swan is an adjunct scientist with Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org and DailyClimate.org.</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-3x1">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4Njk1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTYzNDIzMH0.pejhobOy5cGRtplGXqwWb3mI0Rlu1aHeRenqo8_kAVA/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=0%2C4%2C0%2C11&height=400" id="25000" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4fc32e58f9f6d6c97441ce5596b00366" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="400">
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Phthalates: The 'everywhere' chemical
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4NjkyOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDQzODAzOH0.tye62AJdIzWVhd5PS7Y6lZe74x2uxwhKUFio3wUQr1A/img.png?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C25%2C0%2C34&height=700" id="9c621" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7343b83f2339720591ef8352ecc5c210" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="sperm decline in western countries, by Shanna Swan" data-width="1245" data-height="700" /><p>This rise in infertility, Swan said, is the fault not of genetics – "this is too fast for genetic change" – but of our environment: Specifically hormone-hijacking compounds known as "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" found in everyday plastics used throughout the modern world.</p><p>These chemicals, particularly a family of EDCs called phthalates, are virtually inescapable, said Carnegie Mellon University chemist Terry Collins Tuesday on a webinar hosted by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment.</p><p>"Nothing you do – hardly anything – no, I think maybe nothing you do, from when you get up in the morning to when you go to sleep, is not permeated by chemicals that chemists have made," Collins said.</p><p>Nor is the infertility crisis limited to humans. Life worldwide faces similar or higher exposures to these pollutants. Scientists are seeing feminization in fish and gender blurring in frogs exposed to endocrine-disrupting compounds. </p><p>"We are now the canaries in the coalmine," said Pete Myers, founder of Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org, during Wednesday's Plastic Pollution Coalition webinar. "We have to take the warnings from people and begin to ask, 'What should we be doing to protect the rest of life on Earth, along with people.' "</p>Solutions to plastic pollution
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8d5201db74fe02b05ff58b4babc5c23d"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zd7s6uh_mMs?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Those solutions aren't easy, panelists on both webinars agreed. </p><p>"While it's true we cannot shop ourselves out of this crisis, we can reduce our daily exposure," Swan said. </p><p>A few tips identified in "Count Down" and by panelists:</p><ul><li>Buy fresh, unprocessed food.</li><li>Don't eat canned food, unless you know how or whether manufacturers line their cans.</li><li>Don't eat out of plastic, or heat food in plastic.</li><li>Pay attention to cosmetics and personal care products, using guides like those generated by the Environmental Working Group.</li><li>Don't handle thermal paper receipts, as they are a chief pathway for <a href="https://www.ehn.org/prostate-bpa-2646167213.html" target="_blank">BPA, a known hormone hijacker.</a></li></ul>Need for regulatory reform on plastics
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4Nzg1MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NTk0NTg0Mn0.1HAGP_Rhs6G-W6pTs6wYTfmyIBqMliCezOI9mgofMsg/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=800" id="1702b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="982744a3960d5264547ed5d71bcf3fed" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="800" />Many chemicals found in plastics can have adverse effects on human health, including increased risk of infertility.
<p>But what's really needed, panelists agreed, is education and policy change "at every level."</p><p>"Every aspect of government and of course regulatory agencies have to change," Collins said. "Advocacy and the media has to change. This is our challenge. We have almost no time."</p>
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Count Down: Hormonal havoc in our midst
24 February
Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from the book "Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race" by EHS adjunct scientist Shanna Swan, PhD.
<p><em>The book is available for sale through most major retailers.</em></p>
The drop heard round the world
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MzQyNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODcwMDE4NX0.1zFNM4cKMvknNV_kJwpbY6EthGctNlEnsgO3Q1XkonU/img.jpg?width=980" id="61ea3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7b922e41bacc4dc557747da41720100a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="5472" data-height="3648" />Credit: freestocks/Unsplash
<p>In late July 2017, it seemed as if every media outlet around the globe had become obsessed with the state of human sperm counts. <em>Psychology Today </em>cried, "Going, Going, Gone? Human Sperm Counts Are Plunging," while the BBC declared, "Sperm Count Drop Could Make Humans Extinct," and the <em>Financial Times </em>announced, "Urgent Wake-Up Call' for Male Health as Sperm Counts Plummet." A month later, <em>Newsweek </em>published a major cover story on the same subject: "Who's Killing America's Sperm?" </p><p>By the end of the year, my scientific paper "Temporal Trends in Sperm Count: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis," which sparked these stories—and hundreds of others around the world— was ranked number 26 among all referenced scientific papers published worldwide, according to Altmetric's 2017 report. This truly was the drop heard round the world.</p>Chance of extinction?
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MzQzMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NzAzNjk0MH0.vs_JYl7Mja_8p3COxXUEBNCbKs5HH11riVvI2Tsnk_I/img.jpg?width=980" id="bfdc9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="61019d548f67fe2b9d9897277d982554" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="5760" data-height="3840" />Credit: Johnny Cohen/Unsplash
<p>These days, the world as we've known it feels as though it's changing at warp speed. The same could be said for the status of the human race. It's not only that sperm counts have plummeted by 50 percent in the last forty years; it's also that this alarming rate of decline could mean the human race will be unable to reproduce itself if the trend continues. As my study collaborator Hagai Levine, MD, asks, "What will happen in the future—will sperm count reach zero? Is there a chance that this decline would lead to extinction of the human species? Given the extinction of multiple species, often associated with man-made environmental disruption, this is certainly possible. Even if there is low probability for such a scenario, given the horrific implications, we have to do our best to prevent it."</p><p>This is especially worrisome because the sperm-count decline that's occurring in Western countries is unabating; it's steep, significant, and continuing, with no signs of tapering off. As Danish researcher and clinician Niels Skakkebaek, MD, who was the first person to alert the scientific community to the role of environmental factors in sperm decline, said, "It's an inconvenient message, but the species is under threat, and that should be a wake-up call to all of us. If this doesn't change in a generation, it is going to be an enormously different society for our grandchildren and their children." </p><p>Indeed, if the decline continues at the same rate, by 2050 many couples will need to turn to technology— such as assisted reproduction, frozen embryos, even eggs and sperm that were recreated from other cells in the laboratory (yes, this is actually being one)—to reproduce.</p>A dystopian future?
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MzU0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODA1MTYyOX0.drl1y3pnk7nZpnPygbkRy-uWxEy1Ch5oa9mPR2xCfjM/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=0%2C1684%2C0%2C1617&height=800" id="95ae5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c025c7ec94864f08a1b3888bedfe31e3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="gray concrete building under white sky during daytime" data-width="1200" data-height="800" />Credit: Markus Winkler/Unsplash
<p>Some of what we've been thinking of as fiction, from stories such as <em>Th</em><em>e Handmaid's Tale </em>and <em>Children of Men</em>, is rapidly becoming reality. In the winter of 2017, I presented my sperm-decline findings at the One Health, One Planet conference, which focused on the interconnected health of different species on the planet, the damage being inflicted by our mad "industrialization" of the environment, and its devastating effects on frogs, birds, polar bears, and other species. After presenting the results of our analysis, which were shocking enough to the audience, I spoke for the first time about what sperm decline could mean for <em>Homo Sapiens</em>. That night, I awoke from a dream, feeling incredibly anxious as I suddenly realized the full implications of the story I'd put together— that given the declines in sperm count and testosterone levels and the increases in hormonally active chemicals that are being spewed into the environment, we really <em>are </em>in a dangerous situation for mankind and world fertility.</p><p>This was no longer only a matter of scientific study for me. I felt and remain genuinely <em>scared </em>by these findings on a personal level.</p><p>In some ways, the picture looks even worse when you delve deeper because it's not just an issue for men. Women, children, and other species are also having their reproductive development and function commandeered in a dysfunctional direction. In some countries throughout the world, including the United States, a massive sexual slump is underway, due to declines in people's sex drives and interest in sexual activity; men, including younger guys, are also experiencing greater rates of erectile dysfunction. In animals, there have been changes in mating behavior, with more reports of male turtles humping other male turtles, and female fish and frogs becoming masculinized after being exposed to certain chemicals.</p><p>Taken together, these trends are causing scientists and environmentalists to wonder, how and why could this be happening? The answer is complicated.</p>About the author
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MzQxMy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDQyMDI1N30._RyXcl8MIbHY2cbjVF-rr86s75c3liXRVwzDzeRb1s0/img.png?width=980" id="963c1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="65a095d456d431e8e2c2f15ce5f45bba" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1168" data-height="820" />Author Shanna Swan (Credit: Axel Dupeux)
<p><em>Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., is one of the world's leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists and a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is also an adjunct scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org, DailyClimate.org and FairElex.com. </em></p><p><em>An award-winning scientist, Dr. Swan's work examines the impact of environmental exposures, including chemicals such as phthalates and Bisphenol A, on men's and women's reproductive health and the neurodevelopment of children.</em></p><p><em>For more information about Dr. Swan and her book, including where to buy it, visit Dr. Swan's website at <a href="https://www.shannaswan.com/" target="_blank">www.shannaswan.com</a>.</em></p>
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Nigeria has to act fast to develop a sustainable food system as it faces a population growth that is "handsomely" ahead of its economic growth figures, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said Tuesday.
Freshwater fish are under threat, with as many as a third of global populations in danger of extinction, according to an assessment.
Water treatment rates vary drastically across the world, and are especially low in many developing countries, challenges further compounded by rapid population growth and industrialization.
Count Down: The infertility crisis
23 February
Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from the book "Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race" by EHN adjunct scientist Shanna Swan, PhD.
<p><em>The book is available for sale through most major retailers.</em></p>
Dismaying biological realities
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTYzNDAwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDI3OTMzNX0.-IanqjLZR5p2IQhePlg04omnLHtrismXQN-Si4A1niU/img.jpg?width=980" id="3b0f9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7d2bceb697e02e43206b5a1e0e94fd1c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Infertility may be an environmental problem" data-width="6196" data-height="4144" />Credit: Jimmy Dean/Unsplash
<p>It's hardly a news flash that human beings often take things for granted. Fertility is no exception—unless people discover they have a problem in this area. As with having access to basic necessities and certain fundamental freedoms, many people take it as a given that they'll be able to have babies when the time is right and help perpetuate the species. All of these assumptions reside under the notion that we don't always appreciate what we've got till it's gone, as folk singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell suggested in her hit song "Big Yellow Taxi."</p><p>It's difficult enough for a man or a woman, when experiencing reproductive disorders or fertility troubles, to accept that he or she may not be able to have children. Now there's an even greater challenge as human beings collectively are forced to contend with some dismaying biological realities. In Western countries, sperm counts and men's testosterone levels have declined dramatically over the last four decades, as my own research and that of others has found. Also, increasing numbers of girls are experiencing early puberty, and grown women are losing good-quality eggs at younger ages than expected; they're also suffering more miscarriages.</p>An age of reproductive reckoning
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTYzNDA0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MDUyMjE5MX0.QKEuCNb4j_CFtTpAUFj6L40qTA0ow_FuUug_xdG8b8k/img.jpg?width=980" id="6e293" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="45ba99f013c6f6d3802fb3a7da5b219f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Human fertility decline" data-width="5184" data-height="3456" />Credit: Eva Hartnagel/Unsplash
<p>It's no longer business as usual when it comes to human reproduction. Other species are suffering, too. There's been a rise of abnormal genitals in wildlife, including unusually small penises in alligators, panthers, and mink, as well as an increase in fish, frogs, birds, and snapping turtles that have both male and female gonads or ambiguous genitalia. At first glance, these issues may seem like bizarre anomalies or cruel tricks from Mother Nature—but they're all signs that something very wrong is happening in our midst. Exactly what that culprit is continues to be hotly debated, but evidence pointing to likely suspects is mounting on a regular basis.</p><p>This much is clear: The problem isn't that something is inherently wrong with the human body as it has evolved over time; it's that chemicals in our environment and unhealthy lifestyle practices in our modern world are disrupting our hormonal balance, causing varying degrees of reproductive havoc that can foil fertility and lead to long-term health problems even after one has left the reproductive years. Similar effects are occurring among other species, adding up to widespread reproductive shock. Simply put, we're living in an age of reproductive reckoning that is having reverberating effects across the planet.</p>Putting the puzzle together
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTYzNDA2Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTg1Mzg1MX0.o4DWHpibDSRgIW39Z3knu6AVQuYqLXb-y_aJ1y3hvlo/img.jpg?width=980" id="f7d8a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="14e15943f1bdae311e98e0572441d589" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Society needs safer chemistry" data-width="5100" data-height="3404" />Credit: Science in HD/Unsplash
<p>If these alarming trends continue unabated, it's difficult to predict what the world will look like in a hundred years. What does this dramatic decline in sperm count portend if it stays on its current trajectory? Does it signal the beginning of the end of the human race—or that we're on the brink of extinction? Does the environmental emasculation of wildlife suggest that the earth really is becoming much less habitable? Are we on the verge of experiencing a global existential crisis? These are good questions, and we don't have clear answers to them, at least not yet. But pieces of the puzzle are being put together, as you'll see in the chapters that follow. You'll learn more about the breadth of these scary declines in sperm counts and other aspects of reproductive function, as well as the factors that are likely to blame for these unfortunate effects in human beings and other species, based on scientific research. The following is clear: The current state of reproductive affairs can't continue much longer without threatening human survival.</p>About the author
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MzMxMi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2OTM5MDYwNn0.smEzby0bU5m9GxKGFcpCDvZXfqdn6CjVCMHlIEJwGK4/img.png?width=980" id="06475" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c8aec6ed40609c84e9db321476a064d4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Shanna Swan portrait" data-width="1168" data-height="820" />Author Shanna Swan (Credit: Axel Dupeux)
<p> <em>Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., is one of the world's leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists and a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is also an adjunct scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org, DailyClimate.org and FairElex.com. </em></p><p><em> An award-winning scientist, Dr. Swan's work examines the impact of environmental exposures, including chemicals such as phthalates and Bisphenol A, on men's and women's reproductive health and the neurodevelopment of children. </em></p><p><em> For more information about Dr. Swan and her book, including where to buy it, visit Dr. Swan's website at <a href="https://www.shannaswan.com/" target="_blank">www.shannaswan.com</a>.</em> </p>
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EHN senior editor Brian Bienkowski talks to Dr. Shanna H. Swan—one of the world's leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists—about her new book, Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race.
<p>Swan, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, discusses the role some chemicals play in decreased sperm counts, the physical and social impacts of infertility on men and women, and what this all means for our health and planet.</p>
Infertility and plastic pollution
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/987608272%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-1YOp6fM68FH&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/environmental-health-news" title="Environmental Health News" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Environmental Health News</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/environmental-health-news/a-conversation-with-shanna-swan-about-her-new-book-count-down/s-1YOp6fM68FH" title="A conversation with Shanna Swan about her new book, Count Down" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">A conversation with Shanna Swan about her new book, Count Down</a></div>
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How your environment influences infertility
23 February
Fertility issues are on the rise, and new literature points to ways that your environment may be part of the problem. We've rounded up some changes you can make in your life to promote a healthy reproductive system.
Infertility and environmental health: the facts
<ul><li>Sperm count is declining steeply, significantly, and continuously in Western countries, with no signs of tapering off. Erectile dysfunction is on the rise, and women are facing increasing rates of miscarriage and difficulty conceiving.</li><li>Why? A huge factor is our environmental health. Hormones (particularly testosterone and estrogen) are what make reproductive function possible, and our hormones are increasingly being negatively affected by harmful, endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonplace in the modern world—in our homes, foods, and lifestyles.</li></ul>What you can do about it
<p>It should be noted that infertility can be caused by any number of factors, including medical conditions that cannot be solved with a simple change at home. </p><blockquote><em>If you or a loved one are struggling with infertility, our hearts and sympathies are with you. Your pain is validated and we hope you receive answers to your struggles.</em></blockquote><p>Read on to discover our tips to restore or improve reproductive health by removing harmful habits and chemicals from your environment.</p>Infertility: Edit your health
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU2NzE5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTkzNzE5Nn0.T5vbJ0XWSeztiNvLerC-1Q2H_2-j0F9k-4gq0cf0yC4/img.jpg?width=980" id="c195d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8eef72aa968c09c9c17f02f2be7b5e6c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="exercises to promote fertility" data-width="800" data-height="531" />Practices like yoga or stretching are great ways to reduce stress and move your body. (Credit: distelfliege/flickr)
<ul><li>If you smoke, quit! Smoking is toxic, period. If someone in your household smokes, urge them to quit or institute a no-smoking ban in the house. It is just as important to avoid secondhand smoke.</li><li>Maintain a healthy weight. Make sure your caloric intake is right for your body and strive for moderate exercise.</li><li>Eat cleanly! Focus on whole foods and less processed meals and snacks. Studies have found that eating a Mediterranean-style diet is linked to increased fertility.</li><li>Minimize negative/constant stress—or find ways to manage it. Hobbies such as meditation or yoga that encourage practiced breathing are great options to reduce the physical toll of stress.</li></ul>Infertility: Edit your home
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MzE5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzgxOTczOH0.SReWmF3bKmvCWwBBOILpj_kC6-QB0zTWKkmngYwsDUE/img.jpg?width=1400&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=481" id="f13e4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f52f4976f0feaa007f6bc9a8573ae1b6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Shanna Swan Count Down" data-width="1400" data-height="481" /><p>We spend a lot of time in our homes—and care that what we bring into them will not harm us. You may not be aware that many commonly found household items are sources of harmful, endocrine-disrupting compounds. Read on to find steps you can take—and replacements you should make—in your home.</p>In the kitchen
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU2NzIxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjAwNTY0Mn0.bakRp4iEkhxfVEHc72Uaut9n8JG2A-_W3ngIP2DndRM/img.jpg?width=980" id="47d8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3678383ac39276d5b8c7600897f57f1e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="healthy eating infertility" data-width="800" data-height="531" />Cast iron pans are safe cookware that actually add iron into your diet! (Credit: Mark Bonica/flickr)
<ul><li>Buy organic, fresh, unprocessed foods whenever possible. <a href="https://www.ehn.org/clean-grocery-shopping-guide-2648563801.html" target="_blank">Read our grocery shopping guide for more tips about food.</a></li><li>Switch to glass, ceramics, or stainless steel for food storage: plastics often contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that affect fertility. <a href="https://www.ehn.org/bpa-pollution-2645493129.html" target="_blank">Learn more about the dangers of plastic here.</a></li><li>Ban plastic from the microwave. If you have a plastic splatter cover, use paper towel, parchment paper, or an upside-down plate instead.</li><li>Upgrade your cookware: non-stick may make life easier, but it is made with unsafe chemical compounds that seep into your food. Cast-iron and stainless steel are great alternatives.</li><li>Filter tap water. Glass filter pitchers are an inexpensive solution; if you want to invest you may opt for an under-the-sink filter.</li><li>Check your cleaning products—many mainstream products are full of unsafe chemicals. <a href="https://www.ehn.org/how-to-shop-for-cleaning-products-while-avoiding-toxics-2648130273.html" target="_blank">Check out our guide to safe cleaning products for more info.</a></li></ul>In the bathroom
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU2NzI2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTc5MjU5NH0.7YHbroo26lypbiEkYaWcjImuTkI2KadtK-j_8UT00Fw/img.jpg?width=2000&coordinates=0%2C717%2C0%2C1250&height=1500" id="06425" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e97bd67c953f437bbd7395006f38c678" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="safe products infertility" data-width="2000" data-height="1500" />Make sure you're using products free from harmful chemicals on your body. (Credit: Mathilde Langevin/Unsplash)
<ul><li>Check the labels on your bathroom products: <em>fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free</em> and organic labels are all great signs. You can also scan the ingredients lists for red-flag chemicals such as: triclosan, parabens, and dibutyl phthalate. Use the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/" target="_blank">EWG Skin Deep database</a> to vet your personal products.</li><li>Ditch the vinyl shower curtain—that new shower curtain smell is chemical-off gassing. Choose a cotton or linen based curtain instead.</li><li>Banish air fresheners—use natural fresheners (an open window, baking soda, essential oils) instead.</li></ul>Everywhere else
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTU2NzI0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODExNTgzMX0.QsSVvxEDi1U5fHqdH1Ib3ar7IT-0017GioQ8NugRMHw/img.jpg?width=980" id="fd157" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c63ea1341dbaf76d29e0828ee02fa459" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="clear air helping infertility" data-width="800" data-height="600" />Opening a window is a simple way to provide fresh air and allow dust and smells to escape. (Credit: glasseyes view/flickr)
<ul><li>Remove wall-to-wall carpet. If you've been considering wood or tile, here's your sign: many synthetic carpets can emit harmful chemicals for years. If you want a rug, choose wool or plant materials such as jute or sisal.</li><li>Prevent dust build-up. Dust can absorb chemicals in the air and keep them lingering in your home. Vacuum rugs and wipe furniture, trim, windowsills, fans, TVs, etc. Make sure to have a window open while you're cleaning!</li><li>Leave shoes at the door! When you wear your shoes throughout the house, you're tracking in all kinds of chemicals. If you like wearing shoes inside, consider a dedicated pair of "indoor shoes" or slippers.</li><li>Clean out your closet—use cedar chips or lavender sachets instead of mothballs, and use "green" dry-cleaning services over traditional methods. If that isn't possible, let the clothes air out outside or in your garage for a day before putting them back in your closet.</li><li>Say no to plastic bags!</li><li>We asked 22 endocrinologists what products they use - and steer clear of—in their homes. <a href="https://www.ehn.org/nontoxic-products-2648564261.html" target="_blank">Check out their responses here.</a></li></ul>Learn more about environmental influences on infertility
<ul><li>For more information and action steps, be sure to check out <em>Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race</em> by EHS adjunct scientist Shanna Swan, PhD: <a href="https://www.shannaswan.com/" target="_blank">available for purchase here.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ehn.org/st/Subscribe_to_Above_The_Fold" target="_blank">Sign up for our Above the Fold Newsletter </a>to stay up to date about impacts on the environment and your health.</li></ul>
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