American Journal of Epidemiology

Ultraviolet filters linked to reduced male fecundity

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Men’s ability to father children in a timely manner may be affected by certain chemicals in sunscreens designed to protect against ultraviolet rays, according to recent study findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

  • Researchers note that the findings are preliminary and additional studies are needed.

“In our study, male fecundity seems to be more susceptible to these chemicals than female fecundity,” Germaine Louis, PhD, director of the division of intramural population health research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a press release. “The women participants actually had greater exposure to the UV filters overall, but their exposure wasn’t associated with any significant pregnancy delays. Our next step is to figure out how these particular chemicals may be affecting couple fecundity or time to pregnancy — whether it’s by diminishing sperm quality or inhibiting reproduction some other way.”

Germaine Louis

Germaine Louis

Louis and colleagues evaluated 501 couples (women aged 18 to 44 years; men aged ≥18 years) trying to conceive a child to determine if benzophenone (BP)-type UV filters affectedfertility.

Participants were followed until pregnancy or 1 year of trying to determine how long it took women to get pregnant. Urine samples were also tested to measure concentrations of five UV filters including 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1), 2,2,’4,4’-tetrahydroxybenzophenone (BP-2), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BP-3) 2-2’-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BP-8) and 4-hydroxybenzophenone; all are associated with endocrine-disrupting activity.

Researchers found that BP-2 (fecundability OR=0.69; 95% CI, 0.5-0.95) and 4-hydroxybenzophenone (FOR=0.74; 95% CI, 0.54-1) were associated with reduced fecundity in males.

Following adjustment for the couples’ concentrations, male BP-2 concentration was still associated with reduced fecundity (FOR=0.69; 95% CI, 0.49-0.97).

“The skin is the body’s largest organ, and how we care for skin matters in more ways than one,” Louis said. “Sunscreen is important for sun protection, and we definitely encourage people to continue using sunscreen to avoid skin cancer. But men who are concerned about fertility may be interested in other ways to reduce their exposure to benzophenone UV filters — whether by cutting back on other products that contain the UV filters or by washing after returning indoors.”

Study Finds Link Between Herbicide Exposure and Depression.

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Knowing that herbicides are poisoning ecosystems and degrading human health is enough to get you down. Hold on, though. Recent research has found a significant link between herbicide exposure and depression. Findings were reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
A study of more than 700 French farmers found that those who used herbicides were 2.5 times more likely to develop depression than those who did not. Further, the higher the exposure to herbicides, the greater the chance of being treated for depression.

The authors go on to say: “If true, our findings have important public health implications for agricultural workers given the tremendous public health burden of depression and the fact that herbicides are widely used in agriculture and landscape management.”

As REALfarmacy reported previously, the EPA has raised the allowable level of glyphosate  in our food. This comes on the heels of a tremendous rise in the use of glyphosate after Monsanto unleashed its RoundUp Ready crops that are engineered to be drenched in the herbicide. The hbiotech industry is working on new GMO crops that can withstand other, more toxic herbicides like 2,4-D and dicamba.

Although the mechanism behind this disturbing relationship of herbicide use and depression is not yet known, it adds to the growing scientific evidence that herbicide exposure is a health hazard. Studies are finding possible links between Parkinson’s disease, infertility, cancer, and birth defects. Now we find out that herbicides can have psychological effects too.

Herbicide use by homeowners is certainly common. And it’s no wonder, as a visit to the big box home improvement stores inundates a person with ads for manufactured poisons. The biggest herbicide use, however, exists in the agricultural sector. According to EPA reports from 2007, 80% of pesticide use (including herbicides) was in agriculture.

Herbicide use is bound to continue rising as long as industrial agriculture and GMO companies control the food system. In fact, this is a market strategy considering that herbicide-resistant crops are central to their plans for the future. Can we expect a concomitant rise in cases of depression?

Source: http://www.realfarmacy.com/