Pollution Is Shrinking Human Penises, Warns Environmentalist
Published
| Last updated
One of the world's leading scientists has warned that pollution could be causing babies to be born with smaller penises.
Dr Shanna Swan is a renowned environmental and reproductive epidemiologist, and has recently written a book that ties the use of industrial chemicals in everyday products to smaller penises, lower sperm counts and erectile dysfunction.
She also co-authored a 2017 study that looked into the dramatic fall in sperm count among men in Western countries.
Dr Swan believes this is in no small part down to phthalates, which are types of chemicals found in plastic manufacturing parts and affect how the hormone endocrine is produced.
According to Dr Swan and others, these disrupters, which can be passed on through breast milk, can potentially affect babies when they are in the wombs, leading to all manner of issues, such as lower IQs, premature birth, lower testosterone levels, and smaller penises.
She writes: "Babies are now entering the world already contaminated with chemicals because of the substances they absorb in the womb."
Speaking to The Intercept, Dr Swan said her research had found that baby boys who had been exposed to four different phthalates during their first trimester had a shorter anogenital distance (AGD), which is the distance between the midpoint of the anus and the penis.
She explained: "Nobody is going to like that term, so you could use taint or gooch instead. But basically it's the distance between the anus and the beginning of the genitals.
"And scientists have recognized its importance for a long time.
"Our work has shown that chemicals, including the diethylhexyl phthalate, shorten the AGD in males."
But it's not just the size of a person's manhood, Dr Swan also found that pollution was having an impact on men's libidos
She said: "Yes, we found a relationship between women's phthalate levels and their sexual satisfaction.
"And researchers in China found that workers with higher levels of bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, in their blood were more likely to have sexual problems, including decreased desire."
Back in 2018, a study from scientists in Italy found that men could end up with penises half an inch smaller if their parents were exposed to high levels of a chemical that was found in non-stick frying pans.
The chemicals called PFCs can interfere with male hormones while in the womb and have been found to potentially lead to sexual organs being 'significantly' shorter... and thinner.
But it's not just during pregnancy that these chemicals can have an effect, researchers discovered they could affect teenagers as well.
Scientists found that the willies of men who were raised in places which had high levels of PFCs were around 12.5 percent shorter and 6.3 percent thinner than the average man.
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Environment, Science, Study, Food, World News, Sex, Health, Italy
