Industrial chemicals that can affect male and female reproductive function are widespread in our environment. Many of these chemicals are used in the plastics that we use in our daily lives. We are also exposed through manufacturing processes, pesticides, and a range of household products, from air fresheners to skin creams. Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence has found that exposure to these chemicals is linked to many health concerns, such as infertility, cancer, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
A new documentary, The Plastic Detox, unfolds the science behind plastics and their health impacts, specifically fertility challenges. This documentary was guided by environmental and reproductive epidemiologist Dr. Shanna Swan, who conducted a three-month intervention with couples experiencing infertility to “lower daily exposure to plastic-related chemicals in hopes of better health markers, and ultimately, pregnancy.”
In this EDC Strategies Partnership webinar, Dr. Swan discussed the science behind the movie, details of the “detox” process the participating couples undertook, and how to understand the implications of this experiment. She also shared global trends in sperm count, semen quality, and fertility, and explained why scientists are certain that environmental factors are driving the dramatic increases worldwide. Finally, she gave her perspective on how the global crisis in reproductive health can be addressed through action to reduce or eliminate toxic exposures.
The webinar was moderated by Génon Jensen, Executive Director, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).
Featured Speaker
Shanna H. Swan, PhD, MS, has worked for over twenty-five years to understand the threats posed by chemicals to our environment and our health, and, when necessary, to develop new paradigms to assess their risks. Of most concern to Dr. Swan are the chemicals that our bodies can confuse with its own hormones (the “endocrine disrupting” chemicals). At the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dept of Preventive Medicine, Dr. Swan is working with a wide range of collaborators, including epidemiologists, biostatisticians, toxicologists, geneticists and systems biologists, to conduct studies and develop methods to evaluate the risks from such chemicals — methods that are sensitive enough to tease out the often subtle health effects of complex mixtures