An environmental scientist has cautioned that the size of human penises is shrinking due to pollution, which has been on the rise for the past few years. Environmental scientist Shanna Swan has warned that due to rising pollution levels, babies are being born with smaller penises.
Swan in her new book titled 'Count Down' has stated that humanity is facing an "existential crisis" in fertility rates due to rising pollution. She explained that due to pollution, human penises are shrinking and genitals are malfunctioning. These factors are putting human reproduction in a challenging situation, she opines.
Swan explained that the reason behind all this is - phthalate. This is a chemical used in producing plastics. It makes the plastic flexible. Phthalate impacts the hormone-producing endocrine system in humans.
Swan in her book has made attempts to explain "how our modern world is threatening sperm counts, altering male and female reproductive development, and imperilling the future of the human race".
She studied phthalate syndrome as part of her research. Swan explains that when fetuses were exposed to phthalates, they are likely to be born with smaller penises. She also discovered that male human babies, which were exposed to phthalates while in the womb had a shorter anogenital distance, this correlated with penile volume.
Swann pointed out that phthalate is transmitted into toys and food. Phthalate disturbs the natural production of hormones thus harming human development.
India has 22 out of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, according to 'World Air Quality Report, 2020'. Ghaziabad is the second most polluted city in the world followed by Bulandshahar, Bisrakh Jalalpur, etc. While the National Capital New Delhi is the tenth most polluted city in the world. "The transportation sector is one of the major contributors to India's leading PM2.5 emission sources across cities," the report said.
It added urgent action is both possible and necessary to combat air pollution, which remains the world's greatest environmental health threat.
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