A scientific review highlights the dangers of exposing pregnant women to hormone disrupting chemicals in consumer products, and focuses on the risks these pose to baby boys and the reproductive health of men. The conclusion of this analysis is that exposure to the cocktail of chemicals in our environment is likely to account for a proportion of the birth defects of the genitalia in baby boys, which are linked to under-masculinisation.

This report, entitled Male Reproductive Health Disorders and the Potential Role of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, commissioned by CHEM Trust and distributed in Europe by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), is written by one of the world’s leading experts in reproductive biology, Professor Richard Sharpe of the Medical Research Council (MRC) in Edinburgh, UK.

Scientists now think that birth defects of boy’s genitals, low sperm counts and testicular cancer, collectively called Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome, or TDS, can all have their origins during development in the womb. Testosterone, the male hormone, is needed to form a normal penis and to make the testicles ‘drop’ whilst the baby is in the womb. Many everyday chemicals in the environment or in consumer products have the potential to block the action of testosterone, and exposure to this mixture of chemicals may undermine this process and harm future male reproductive health.

The EU chemicals legislation, called REACH (Registration, Evaluation Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals), provides an opportunity to address Professor Sharpe’s concerns and reduce overall exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

Genon Jensen, Executive Director of Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) said: "We think the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) should be taking this report seriously. It provides more evidence that the risks of TDS are likely to be associated with the combined effects of small-dose exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. We need to act now to remove these chemicals from the market on a precautionary basis and to introduce multiple (or "mixtures" effect) chemical risk assessment as soon as possible."

Go to CHEM Trust website to read more, download report and press relaese