Leading epidemiologist and environmental scientist, Dr Shanna Swan, has warned that human penile length is reducing, after examining a link between industrial chemicals and penile length.
In her book Count Down Dr Swan says that pollution is leading to higher rates of erectile dysfunction, fertility decline, and a growing number of babies born with small penises. “In some parts of the world, the average twenty-something today is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35,” Dr Swan writes, dubbing the situation a “global existential crisis” in the book. “Chemicals in our environment and unhealthy lifestyle practices in our modern world are disrupting our hormonal balance, causing various degrees of reproductive havoc.”
According to the book, humans meet three of the five possible criteria used to define whether a species is endangered. “Only one needs to be met,” writes Dr Swan, “the current state of affairs for humans meets at least three.” According to Dr Swan’s research, this disruption is caused by phthalates, chemicals used in plastic manufacturing, which can impact how the hormone endocrine is produced. This group of chemicals is used to help increase the flexibility of a substance. They can be found in toys, food packaging, detergents, cosmetics, and many more products. But Dr Swan believes that these substances are radically harming human development. “Babies are now entering the world already contaminated with chemicals because of the substances they absorb in the womb,” she says. Climate activist Greta Thunberg recently mocked climate change deniers using Dr Swan’s research, linking it in a tweet whilst commenting that she now expects to see everyone at her next climate strike.
Sources
Penises are shrinking because of plastic pollution, warns environmental scientist, Euronews, 2021-03-23
Greta Thunberg mocks climate change deniers by citing ‘penis shrinking’ research, The Independent, 2021-03-26
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