Colorado State University researchers recently completed a study that looked at chemicals and the negative effects that they can have on the male reproductive system.

Some of the findings from researcher Rao Veeramachaneni include: 

• Basic household chemicals and pollution are in fact changing male reproduction systems and male reproductive health.
• From the time chemicals were widely introduced (1940s) until the 1990s  sprem count among men has seen a decline of 1.15% per year - which could be linked to chemical exposure.
• Some of the baddie chemicals include “Insecticides; pesticides; common pollutants in ground water; and chemicals in plastics, make-up and nail polish.”
• These above chemicals are thought to be one reason for developmental abnormalities and less viable sperm.
• The damage from chemicals can occur if men are exposed even in utero and into adulthood.

From the Colorado State article:

“Some of these chemicals can survive in the environment for 30 to 40 years, and the chances for exposure are high because the chemicals have permeated our world. For example, the EPA says that about one-third of the nation’s lakes and one quarter of its rivers are polluted. There is also evidence that exposure today to some of these chemicals can affect the reproductive health of this generation as well as the future health of offspring of those exposed. The incidence of testicular cancer in young men 15 to 35 years old has increased three to four fold over the past 50 years, particularly in the Western world.”

Yikes! This creates a better argument for the ever growing green living options available to us. To read about the chemicals that put men at risk, and more about this study, visit, Colorado State University.