Count Down: Toxic Disruptors & Reproductive Decline / Dr. Shanna Swan

World-renowned environmental and reproductive epidemiologist Dr. Shanna Swan joins me to discuss her groundbreaking research identifying the causes and rate of rapid decline of fertility in the Western world, documented in her new book Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race.

Humanity is in peril. Along with the ecological devastation expanding industrialization has wrought on the global environment, another looming catastrophe has emerged in the past century that threatens the human species: rapid decline in fertility. The reproductive systems of females and males in industrialized, particularly Western, nations have seen a precipitous drop in the ability to conceive and bear children. From falling sperm counts and testosterone levels in males, and early menopause and cysts in the ovaries of females, the reproductive systems in human beings have dramatically changed for the worse over the past several decades.

Dr. Swan has identified several of the main culprits in this ongoing trend, namely the absorption and ingestion of various endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in countless materials we interact with daily: phthalates from plastics and numerous hygiene products; Bisphenol A found in hard plastics and electronics; flame retardants in furniture; and pesticides in foods — just to name a few. Dr. Swan describes how these array of hormone disrupting chemicals impact the development of the reproductive system during crucial periods in human biological growth, of particular concern, in the gestation period.

The potential outcome of all this is dire and stark. As highlighted in her book, and cited in the New York Times article ‘The Everyday Chemicals That Might Be Leading Us to Our Extinction’: "From 1973 to 2011, the total sperm count of men in Western countries dropped by 59 percent." (https://nyti.ms/3dDYTDk) Based on the findings of her research, she stated in a recent interview with The Guardian: "If you follow the curve from the 2017 sperm-decline meta-analysis, it predicts that by 2045 we will have a median sperm count of zero. It is speculative to extrapolate, but there is also no evidence that it is tapering off. This means that most couples may have to use assisted reproduction." (https://bit.ly/3arMGQ7) Of course, there are several important things that can be done to reverse this trend, which she outlines in this interview.

Video Segment:

Bio:

Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists and a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. An award-winning scientist, her work examines the impact of environmental exposures, including chemicals such as phthalates and Bisphenol A, on men’s and women’s reproductive health and the neurodevelopment of children.

Episode Notes:

Learn more about Dr. Swan and her work at her website

Purchase a copy of Count Down at Bookshop