Courtesy / IVI
The world is flooded with so many synthetic chemicals that scientists guarantee that we have already exceeded the safe limit of our planet – with repercussions on the fertility of even animals.
Researchers are warning that pesticides, pollutants, plastics and persistent chemicals may be contributing to a “silent” fertility crisis.
In a new study last week in npj Emerging Contaminantsa team of toxicologists and biologists argues that “a diversity of pollutants, combined with the increasing pressure of worsening climate change” threatens fertility, biodiversity and health on a global scale.
This applies to humans and countless other animals, such as marine mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates and reptiles – writes , in an analysis of the new research.
In just half a century, Earth’s wildlife populations have declined by more than two-thirds, and pollutants and climate change are thought to be significant causes of this decline.
At the same time, the human infertility rates also appear to be increase in both men and women.
Although no one knows exactly why, some scientists point the finger at proliferation of chemicals that disrupt hormones in our lives.
Today, there are more than 1,000 synthetic chemicals on the market that can imitate or block natural hormones – and these are just the ones we know about.
Only one percent of all synthetic chemicals have received sufficient safety evaluations, by some estimates.
“Human fertility trends parallel wildlife responses and highlight that all living organisms are involuntarily exposed to chemicals that have not been properly evaluated for safety”, write the authors of the study, cited by Science Alert.
This leaves the Animal kingdom in precarious positionespecially when it is already teetering on the brink of collapse.
Even if only a fraction of our pollutants are harmful, there are more than 140,000 synthetic chemicals, and it is clear that just one toxic compound can cause disaster to several animals at the same time.
Insecticidesfor example, are chemicals designed to kill insects that harm human cultures and health. They were sprayed widely, and yet some of these compounds have now been linked to lowest sperm concentrations in humans worldwide.
The infamous insecticide is one of the few that we know for sure has negative effects on health and reproduction in certain animals and in certain concentrations.
There is also evidence that DDT reduced fertility rates in some marine mammals – which have gradually recovered since the chemical was banned internationally.
However, persistent chemicals, or (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), have also been linked to lower fertility rates in humans, and some of these compounds are known endocrine disruptors.
This system produces and distributes hormones – chemical messengers that help perform crucial functions in the body, from growth and development to metabolism and reproduction.
Another potential disaster looms over the health impacts of , which can also disrupt the endocrine system.
