In an article published June 3, 2014 by the news provider Epoch Times, journalist Conan Milner compares the endocrine system to a computer with the hardware being the network of glands and the software consisting of hormones. He compares synthetic chemicals to rogue software slipping into the system interfering with the network signals. Milner addresses the debate on how to identify an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) and points to a study published in the scientific journal EMBOreports which tested chemicals directly on living sperm cells (FPF reported previously). The research suggests that EDCs may “confuse” sperm, resulting in lower fertilization success. In a December 2013 statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that triclosan may also have “unanticipated hormonal effects” and proposed a rule requiring more data from manufacturers.
Read more
Conan Milner (June 3, 2014). “How endocrine disrupting chemicals cause infertility.” Epoch Times.
FPF article “EDCs affect sperm function”
Reference
Schiffer, C. et al. (2014). “Direct action of endocrine disrupting chemicals on human sperm.” EMBOreports, 2014 (published online May 12, 2014).
