collaboration
Shanna Swan of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City is a leading researcher into the effects of so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals on human fertility. A 2017 paper she co-authored came to the startling conclusion that sperm counts among men in the industrialized world fell nearly 60 per cent from 1973 to 2011, in part because of the effects on the hormonal system of chemicals widely used in consumer products. Other factors include obesity, smoking and alcohol.
In her new book,
Count Down, Swan makes her case against endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Her goal is to generate public concern about these substances and to spur government action to ban them. These chemicals include phthalates, used in plastics, floor coverings, personal care products, toys and medical devices; BPA, used since the 1950s in plastic bottles and the linings of food cans; and flame-retardant chemicals called PBDEs, commonly used in upholstered furniture, mattresses, carpets and children’s pajamas.