Did you know the sperm count of mankind has dropped by 60% since 1973? It's in a new book called Countdown by Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
As reported by Erin Brockovich in The Guardian, "
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 us for alarming you, but here is what The Guardian reported:
"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."
How many couples do you know are having fertility problems? More than the number of fingers on both hands for me. The official number is 1 in 5 couples which is crazy in itself, but also - how many are going unreported? The number is most likely bigger.
“In some parts of the world, the average twentysomething woman today is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35,” Swan writes. In addition to that, Swan finds that, on average, a man today will have half of the sperm his grandfather had.
"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.
"Swan’s book echoes previous research, which has found that PFAS harms sperm production, disrupts the male hormone and is correlated to a “reduction of semen quality, testicular volume and penile length”. These chemicals are literally confusing our bodies, making them send mix messages and go haywire.
"The European Union 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."
Where to start reducing your chemical load? I know we bang on and on about this, but number one is your personal care products. That's perfume, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser. The stuff you put all over your skin every day of your life, sometimes twice a day.
Think about how many chemicals you are using every day and aim to reduce your chemical load. The washing up liquid, the dishwasher tablets, the spray n wipe, the everything you are coming into contact with on a daily or weekly basis! Time to switch to natural perfume, clean beauty products and cleaning products that are kind to your body and to the planet.
