Concern for the Male Population

by Susanne Morrone, C.N.C.

(NaturalNews) Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, reports something is happening to men and boys which concerns scientists and researchers: fewer boys are being born than girls. How far-reaching is this problem? In a study by Dr. Devra Davis of the University of Pittsburgh, the combined figures for U.S. and Japan is a “staggering tally of 262,000 ‘missing boys’ from 1970 to about 2000 because of a decline in the sex ratio at birth.”Scientists are also puzzled why there is a lopsided ratio of girls to boys being born in the Canada's Aamjiwnaang First Nation. Interestingly enough, this community is almost surrounded by petrochemical plants. In Canadian babies, hypospadiasis has increased by 60% since the mid-1970’s. This is a disfiguring defect, where the urinary opening is on the underside of the penis rather than its normal anatomical position. Other countries are seeing an increase in this condition as well.From 1983 to 2005, young Canadian males in the 20 to 44 age bracket have seen a 54 per cent rise in testicular cancer. Testosterone levels in U.S. men have declined by nearly 20% over the past two decades. Both fertility and virility rates are down, including the shrinking size of male gonads.There’s a definite parallel in the animal kingdom. Man-made chemical toxins frequently assault males of different species with fiercer effects. Amphibians such as male toads are being feminized.University of Florida zoologist, Dr. Theo Colborn, author of “Our Stolen Future” and president of the Colorado-based Endocrine Disruption Exchange, offered her expert opinion. She fears some chemicals are impeding normal brain development, with greater impact on males. As an example, she cites attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as two to four times greater in boys than girls. She also feels chemical exposures could explain why enrollment at U.S. and Canadian universities favors females, currently at 60 to 40 per cent.The environmental impacts of phthalates in plastic inhibit testosterone production and possibly may cause irregular genital development. Brominated flame-retardants may block the thyroid hormone critical to proper development of both the testes and the brain. University of Missouri professor, Dr. vom Saal, said, “This mishmash of synthetic hormones - leading to too much estrogen and too little testosterone and thyroid hormone - is making "a mess of sexual development in males." He conducted studies relative to sperm health comparing various geographic locations. A markedly lower sperm count in males from farming areas verses urban areas suggests pesticides are to blame.Of the world’s 100,000 registered chemicals, many are endocrine disruptors, exhibiting toxic hormonal effects along with carcinogenicity. Even in mere parts per million, these chemicals can upset the intricate working of human hormones. Xenoestrogens are found in DDT and other organophosphate pesticides, PCB’s, plastics, bisphenol A, DES, as well as mercury and uranium. They’re in our food and the air we breathe. This continuing chemical assault from pesticide applications is taking a serious health toll. There is good reason to be pro-active in lessening these assaults as much as possible, and the effects upon men and boys is obviously a major one.

Source for this story:
Canada’s National Newspaper, The Globe and Mail
“Humanity at Risk: Are The Males Going First?” September 20, 2008

http://www.naturalnews.com/025076.html

Commentary by Erin Brennan

This article highlights the scary reality that plastics and chemical waste products are endangering not only the environment and the lives of animals, but the human species as well. Plastics, waste and by-products from processing plants, and chemical pesticides all contain chemicals similar in nature to the human hormone estrogen. While we all need estrogen, some of us more than others, the xenoestrogens that can be absorbed into our bodies by exposure to plastics and chemicals can cause significant health concern. Xenoestrogens act like estrogen inside the body and can cause hormonal imbalance and a whole slew of other nasty problems. Fertility problems are common in men with elevated estrogen levels. The size of the male gonads are shrinking and many male babies are now born with birth defects of the genitals - all because of the assalt of xenoestrogens present in our environment. Similar yet more severe birth defects are threatening many species of amphibians. Amphibians, who spend a great portion of their lives in water, have skin which is very porous and allows for easy absorption of xenoestrogens which make it to the water supply. The birth defects are often so bad that whole populations are at risk because the males are unable to mate and produce offspring.

I would also like to point out that xenoestrogens are not the only culprut at work here. Phytoestrogens are present in many foods that humans regularily consume. Soy is becoming increasingly more popular in the west as processed meat and dairy substitutes, and as filler for many processed food products, including meats. Soy and soy byproducts are rich in phytoestrogens, which, like xenoestrogens, behave the same way as estrogen in the human body. I am not in favor of the consumption of soy or its byproducts, unless fermented in the case of miso, tempeh, or nama shoyu (an unpasturized soy sauce). It is also important to note that much of the soy grown today, like corn, is genetically modified. If one does choose to consume soy products, it should be only organic, fermented products. The fermentation process seems to change soy into a form more suitable for human consumption. Men and boys especially should avoid soy products.

Another issue to raise is that of the incredible amount of hormone treatments used today. The very birth control pills that so many women I know unfortunately take are showing up in measureable levels in our water supplies. Menopausal women often also take hormone replacement therapy. Animals raised in factory farms are given hormones to increase their growth rate, size, or milk production. We are surrounding ourselves with hormones and their synthetic counterparts at the detriment to our own health and well-being. This is not only an issue of environmental protection, but an issue of ensuring the future propagation of our species.