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(NaturalNews) Hormone-disrupting chemicals found in a variety of consumer products are destroying male reproductive health, according to a report released by the nonprofit CHEM Trust.

An increasing number of widely used chemicals are being exposed as endocrine disruptors, many of them ingredients in plastics, cosmetics, cleaning products and even food. Most of these simulate the action of the female sex hormone estrogen.

According to report author Richard Sharpe of the Medical Research Council, long-term exposure to a wide variety of these chemicals is probably to blame, at least in part, for rising incidence of a condition known as Testicular Dysgenisis Syndrome (TDS). Exposure to endocrine disruptors can "feminize" male children even in the womb, he said, by blocking the activity of the male sex hormone testosterone

TDS refers to a collection of observed disorders of the male reproductive system, including reduced sperm counts, malformed penis and testicular cancer.

While exposure to one endocrine disruptor might not have a great effect, Sharpe said, there are so many different chemicals out there that their cumulative results must be taken into account.

"Because it is the summation of effect of hormone-disrupting chemicals that is critical, and the number of such chemicals that humans are exposed to is considerable, this provides the strongest possible incentive to minimize human exposure to all relevant hormone disruptors, especially women planning pregnancy, as it is obvious that the higher the exposure the greater the risk," he said.

"Chemicals that have been shown to act together to affect male reproductive health should have their risks assessed together," said Elizabeth Salter Green of the CHEM Trust. "Currently that is not the case, and unfortunately chemicals are looked at on an individual basis. Therefore, government assurances that exposures are too low to have any effect just do not hold water because regulators do not take into account the additive actions of hormone disrupting chemicals."

"It is high time that public health policy is based on good science and that regulatory authorities have health protection, rather than industry protection, uppermost in mind," she said.

Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk.

Poor fertility and a chance...one more

For conceiving, both partners need to take UNrefined Wheatgerm Oil 3x daily at one tablespoon levels -Craig

Poor Fertility Chances (PFCs)

January 30, 2009 by Karla

A study from the University of California has found that women with high levels of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in their blood tended to take longer to conceive than women with lower PFC levels.

PFCs are a family of fluorine-containing chemicals designed to make fabrics stain resistant and are found in food packaging, pesticides, carpets and cosmetics. There are a number of health concerns regarding two types of PFCs in particular - perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which is used to make Teflon products and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which was used for some time to make Scotchgard products. PFOA causes liver, pancreatic, testicular and mammary gland tumours in lab animals and is therefore a likely carcinogen for humans. PFOS causes liver & thyroid cancer in rats.

The US study showed that women exposed to PFCs may have lower fertility and irregular menstrual cycles and PFCs can also affect sperm quality in men.

PFCs can linger in our bodies for over four years and so avoidance is the best policy – steer clear of grease-proof and oiled packaging, avoid stain-resistant treatments on furniture and carpets and try to avoid toiletries containing any ingredients named ‘fluoro’ or ‘perfluoro’, common in dental floss, nail polish and eye make-up. Always go for natural alternatives where possible!