The world is experiencing a quiet but accelerating decline in male fertility, according to an article published Tuesday in the journal Human Reproduction Update.
Research Between 1973 and 2018, sperm count dropped by more than 51 percent.
“I think this is our crisis [had] better fight back now before we reach a tipping point,” lead author Hagai Levine of the Hadassah Brown School of Public Health at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem This was reported by The Guardian.
Levin added Times of Israel the findings “are the canary in the coal mine. We have a serious problem on our hands that, if left unchecked, could threaten the survival of humanity.”
The study found that the rate of decline since 2000 was staggering, with a 2.64 percent drop in sperm count per milliliter. more than twice as large The Guardian writes that the decline observed since 1978.
Although the reasons for the decline are unclear, endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in thousands of everyday items may be a major factor, said co-author Shanna Swan of the Icahn School of Medicine. Financial Times.
Swan noted that these compounds, found in everything from personal care products to food packaging, have particularly dire effects on reproductive function. He specifically named phthalates and bisphenols, which are used as linings in products such as water bottles and containers.
Levine and Swan’s joint research builds on existing findings linking environmental chemicals to rates of sustained decline in sperm counts.
2021 Danish study listed chemicals found in or derived from fossil fuels As reported by The Hill, as possible culprits.
Potentially harmful chemicals from such sources “were found in blood, urine, sperm, placenta and breast milk samples from all people studied,” the study found.
“It is well established that these chemicals become part of our tissues and fluids,” the authors said. “We know they can be a threat to wildlife. “Unfortunately, little has been done to reveal their role in humans.”
Plastic derivatives such as bisphenol A (BPA) – commonly added to food and drink packaging – has also been linked to reduced male fertility as well as birth defects.
Many potentially toxic chemicals “reach us through food,” Brunel University London professor Andreas Kortenkamp said in June.
“A lot of bisphenol A intake is through milk,” he said. “The linings of milk cartons and cans, such as tomato cans, leach BPA into the product.”
Israel’s research comes at a time when the world’s population has recently surpassed 8 billion. still, birth rates are severely reduced — meaning the next billion will take longer to add than before.
