Science
Related: About this forumSperms' swimming and navigational skills disrupted by common chemicals
Common chemical additives found in sunscreens, food packaging, toothpaste and toys can harm sperm and may affect the fertility of some couples, scientists say.
Tests on 96 ubiquitous and supposedly non-toxic substances found that nearly one third disrupted the way sperm functioned, affecting their swimming and navigational skills, and their ability to fertilise an egg.
The findings from an experiment conducted on sperm in dishes in the lab are the first to demonstrate how the chemicals, which are so widespread they are detectable in people's blood, can impact on sperm and potentially harm reproduction.
Researchers in Denmark and Germany focused on chemicals that are known to mimic natural hormones in the body. Previous studies have linked such endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) to fertility problems in the western world, but the paucity of human studies has left question marks over the harm they pose.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/may/12/sperm-swimming-navigational-skills-chemicals-endocrine-disruptors
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