* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

    Mavs CEO holds firm on new arena, entertainment district in Dallas – Dallas News

    Mavs CEO Stands Strong on Vision for New Arena and Entertainment District in Dallas

    Entertainment: On Your Marks, Get Set, Beer Run! – Urban Milwaukee

    Get Ready to Race: The Ultimate Beer Run Experience Awaits!

    Rachel Guttman Launches Entertainment Law Firm Gutt Law, PLLC [Exclusive] – MusicRow.com

    Rachel Guttman Unveils Exciting New Entertainment Law Firm: Gutt Law, PLLC!

    HYBE Cashes In: Offloads Final Stake in K-Pop Rival SM Entertainment for $177 Million!

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Receives Expected Nasdaq Notice Regarding Delayed Quarterly Report – Business Wire

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Faces Nasdaq Notice Over Delayed Quarterly Report

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Drone technology demo in Cambria County showcases future of lifesaving medical deliveries – local21news.com

    Revolutionizing Healthcare: Drone Technology Takes Flight for Lifesaving Medical Deliveries in Cambria County

    Revolutionary Harvesting Technology Promises to Slash CAR-T Manufacturing Costs!

    Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism – International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – ICCT

    Unplugged: The Surge of Anti-Technology Extremism

    Finland to head EU’s quantum defense technology project – Latest news from Azerbaijan

    Finland Takes the Lead in Pioneering EU’s Quantum Defense Technology Initiative!

    i3D Robotics Unveils Breakthrough Glass Defect Detection Technology – USGlass Magazine

    Revolutionary Glass Defect Detection Technology Unveiled by i3D Robotics!

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

    Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

    Mavs CEO holds firm on new arena, entertainment district in Dallas – Dallas News

    Mavs CEO Stands Strong on Vision for New Arena and Entertainment District in Dallas

    Entertainment: On Your Marks, Get Set, Beer Run! – Urban Milwaukee

    Get Ready to Race: The Ultimate Beer Run Experience Awaits!

    Rachel Guttman Launches Entertainment Law Firm Gutt Law, PLLC [Exclusive] – MusicRow.com

    Rachel Guttman Unveils Exciting New Entertainment Law Firm: Gutt Law, PLLC!

    HYBE Cashes In: Offloads Final Stake in K-Pop Rival SM Entertainment for $177 Million!

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Receives Expected Nasdaq Notice Regarding Delayed Quarterly Report – Business Wire

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Faces Nasdaq Notice Over Delayed Quarterly Report

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

    Drone technology demo in Cambria County showcases future of lifesaving medical deliveries – local21news.com

    Revolutionizing Healthcare: Drone Technology Takes Flight for Lifesaving Medical Deliveries in Cambria County

    Revolutionary Harvesting Technology Promises to Slash CAR-T Manufacturing Costs!

    Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism – International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – ICCT

    Unplugged: The Surge of Anti-Technology Extremism

    Finland to head EU’s quantum defense technology project – Latest news from Azerbaijan

    Finland Takes the Lead in Pioneering EU’s Quantum Defense Technology Initiative!

    i3D Robotics Unveils Breakthrough Glass Defect Detection Technology – USGlass Magazine

    Revolutionary Glass Defect Detection Technology Unveiled by i3D Robotics!

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Plastic may not be so fantastic for those hoping for babies. Here’s why

July 2, 2023
in Science
Plastic may not be so fantastic for those hoping for babies. Here’s why
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Men hoping to become dads are told to avoid alcohol and limit their intake of unhealthy food if they want to increase their chances, but there is one more thing that may affect fertility, which can be even more challenging to avoid.

Some fertility specialists now warn of the potential that exposure to plastics, common in everyday life, can have.

Certain chemicals within plastics can interfere with the body’s hormonal processes and the ever-increasing reliance on plastic in everyday use means human bodies are being exposed to greater amounts of these chemicals.

So how can people reduce their exposure to such chemicals?

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastic

Many scientists, including Liza O’Donnell, a senior research scientist at Griffith University and Hudson Institute of Medical Research, talk about the ‘soup of plastic’ humans now exist in.

Companies continue to make more virgin plastic than ever, and because it is relatively cheap, it is often used in favour of other materials.

Within the plastic people buy their packaged groceries in, store and serve food in, contained in the micro-beads in cosmetics that people apply daily to their bodies and even within children’s toys and

are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

Ms O’Donnell, who studies the biology of the testis, including how it produces both sperm and androgens, described EDCs as “something in the environment that can impact how our hormones work in our body”.

She said that given hormones govern many different processes, including male fertility and the development and function of reproduction, they had the potential to affect a man’s ability to reproduce.

How do EDCs get into our bodies?

Ms O’Donnell said research has confirmed EDCs were accumulating in most, if not all, people’s bodies.

“Ninety-five per cent of the population have appreciable levels of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals secreted in the urine,” she said.

The chemicals get into the human body through both ingestion as well as through the skin.

Ms O’Donnell said the body could be exposed to EDCs by simply touching plastic packaging once for a short time, but such an interaction on its own would likely only expose a person to a small dose of chemicals.

“But it’s the cumulative exposure to plastics, and it’s that we are exposed to it in so many different sources,” she said.

A national public education program funded by the Australian and Victorian governments tells hopeful parents while it is “impossible to completely avoid EDCs” people could take steps to reduce their exposure to them.

The Your Fertility website suggests eating fewer processed, canned, pre-packaged foods, avoiding handling sales receipts, and drinking out of glass or hard plastic bottles, not soft plastic bottles, which use EDCs to make flexible plastic.

A hand holding a plastic container filled with food next to a microwave.

Plastic containers and packaging can contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Source: Getty / Brett Stevens

It also warns against heating food in soft plastic takeaway containers or covered with cling wrap or foil, as the heating process contributes to the leaching of the chemicals.

Instead, people are told to heat food in a china or glass bowl and cover it with a paper towel or a china plate.

How exactly do EDCs affect reproductive health?

Ms O’Donnell said such chemicals could affect infertility in a male fetus as it grows and throughout the later stages of life up to adulthood, leading to when a man may try for children.

“When a male baby is in utero, and he’s starting to develop, hormones are turned on in his body, and tell his body to develop as a male, that is when the testes are forming, and the different reproductive structures are forming in the body,” she said.

“We know that that process is very reliant on hormones, particularly androgens; testosterone, so if there’s some impact, or alteration of that process, while he’s developing, it can result in disorders of his development, and it could mean he could be more likely to be infertile as an adult.”

A man’s fertility may also be influenced during adulthood.

“Sperm production is governed by hormones, there’s a lot of hormones produced around the body and within the testes and these hormones direct sperm production to occur and direct the whole function of the testes. It is possible that hormones that come from outside the body can interfere with this process,” she said.

One in six people around the world experience infertility, which is defined as not being able to conceive after at least one year of trying for a baby.

An assortment of home pregnancy tests laid on a surface.

One in six adults around the world are affected by infertility, according to the World Health Organisation. Source: Getty / Catherine McQueen

Research into EDCs in the human body is difficult

While it is not disputed that EDCs are entering human bodies, there is not a lot of research into the impact on human fertility yet.

“It is very difficult to pin down how these influences human male infertility, but there are a lot of studies in animal models, which are quite good at approximating human male fertility,” Ms O’Donnell said.

“There’s lots of studies that have given certain endocrine disrupting chemicals to adult male mice or rats and shown effects on fertility on their ability to produce sperm and on the sperm quality and even on the DNA within their sperm.”

She said such tests were “quite good at approximating human male fertility”.

Ms O’Donnell said it would be difficult to carry out studies on humans around plastic exposure and fertility.

“Imagine trying to do it in men, to do a study of BPA, Bisphenol A, which is a known endocrine disruptor, all men are exposed to BPA. How do you get a control population? You can’t get men that aren’t exposed to it, you have to raise them in a bubble and make sure that their mothers didn’t have any exposure to it, it’s impossible to do,” she said.

She added while it was a concern that it would be difficult to prove the full impact EDCs have on fertility, “as a reproductive biologist, I’m certainly concerned that these things will impact on human reproduction”.

Plastic and female fertility

Ms O’Donnell said there was existing evidence that EDCs could affect women’s fertility, and there had since been a consumer move away from products containing BPA.

She explained how manufacturers were unable to avoid making changes when reports from a reproductive biologist in America were publicised.

“She was looking at mice and she was studying their eggs and the DNA quality of their eggs and all of a sudden, all the mice had abnormal eggs,” Ms O’Donnell said.

“She figured out that what had happened was the technicians in the lab had changed the detergent that they use to wash the drinking water bottles of the mice and what was happening was it was a really harsh detergent and it was causing BPA to leach into the water.

A woman injecting a syringe into her stomach.

Women struggling with infertility may opt for IVF treatment to assist them to become pregnant. Source: Getty / Maskot

“The mice all had measurable and observable effects on their reproduction and were unable to get pregnant.”

More research and a shift away from plastic

Ms O’Donnell thinks a shift away from plastic usage will continue to be driven by consumers such as those participating in Plastic Free July this month.

“This is the great thing about plastic free July, is acknowledging that these things just can’t be introduced constantly. We can’t keep we have to start by removing them one by one rather than putting them in one by one,” she said.

Reproductive Health Australia (RHA) has called on the Australian government to fund research to identify and understand the specific EDCs in the local environment and their potential to harm the reproductive health of citizens.

In a

, it said “One of the great challenges is to pinpoint which EDCs, either individual chemicals or mixtures of chemicals, directly alter fertility and fecundity. Equally, it is unclear the levels or duration of exposure required and across what life stage for effects to be evident.”

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : SBS – https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/plastic-isnt-so-fantastic-for-those-hoping-to-have-babies/pl0qh7j80

Tags: fantasticPlasticscience
Previous Post

Australia’s not the only place where fake Indigenous art is rife. In Canada, the market’s flooded with it

Next Post

Dutch king apologises for Netherlands’ historical role in slavery

Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (31st May) – Economy Class & Beyond –

Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (31st May) – Economy Class & Beyond –

June 1, 2025
Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

June 1, 2025
Governor Newsom proclaims Mental Health Awareness Month – Governor of California (.gov)

Governor Newsom Declares May as Mental Health Awareness Month!

June 1, 2025
Sanders says Harris fell short with working class. He has a plan to fix that. – The Washington Post

Sanders says Harris fell short with working class. He has a plan to fix that. – The Washington Post

June 1, 2025
Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

Lafayette Regional Technology Council – Tech Leadership That’s Homegrown and Future-Focused – Discover Lafayette

June 1, 2025
Saturday Sports: Stanley cup final rematch, OKC Thunder in the NBA Finals – KUOW

Saturday Sports: Stanley cup final rematch, OKC Thunder in the NBA Finals – KUOW

May 31, 2025
Managers rethink ecological scenarios as threats rise amid climate change – Fast Company

Managers Reevaluate Ecological Strategies in Response to Escalating Climate Change Threats

May 31, 2025
Can science revive dead rhinos? The answer may shock you – Times of India

Can Science Bring Dead Rhinos Back to Life? The Surprising Truth Revealed!

May 31, 2025
Science lab incident at George Washington Carver Middle School triggers hazmat response; at least 8 people treated – abc7.com

Hazmat Alert: George Washington Carver Middle School Science Lab Incident Sends 8 to Treatment

May 31, 2025
The World’s Most Destructive Termites Are Taking Over Florida: How You Can Protect Your Home, According to Exterminators – Yahoo

Florida Under Siege: How to Safeguard Your Home from the Most Destructive Termites!

May 31, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (654)
  • Economy (670)
  • Entertainment (21,576)
  • General (15,253)
  • Health (9,712)
  • Lifestyle (671)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (670)
  • Politics (678)
  • Science (15,891)
  • Sports (21,174)
  • Technology (15,657)
  • World (657)

Recent News

Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (31st May) – Economy Class & Beyond –

Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (31st May) – Economy Class & Beyond –

June 1, 2025
Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

Jackie Chan Reveals This Family Member ‘Never Watched’ The Whole Of Any Of His Movies – Yahoo

June 1, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version