Are Xenoestrogens Causing a Global Fertility Crisis?

Most humans on Earth now live in a country with a below-replacement fertility rate.

North and South America , Europe , East Asia , and even once procreative Islamic regions are filled with countries that will soon be shrinking.

To many, shifting preferences is the simplest explanation for the decline in fertility.

Another potential answer is rising incomes or wealth, but birth rates have collapsed very quickly.

80 million pounds of atrazine are applied annually in the United States on corn and sorghum to control weeds and increase crop yield.

Atrazine interferes with endocrine hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, in fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, rodents, and even human cells.

Plastics and microplastics can also disrupt the endocrine system by leaching chemicals like BPA and phthalates.

Diving into the world of xenoestrogens and their role in the fertility collapse is a bewildering detective adventure.

The consumer products of modernity may be changing who we are on a very intimate level.

The research isn’t settled, but it may be strange new coalitions of pro-natalists and environmentalists will be required to solve this problem.