Common chemicals called phthalates can lead to smaller penises

USA Today

For the first time, scientists have shown that pregnant mothers exposed to high but common levels of a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, fragrances, plastics and paints can have baby boys with smaller genitals and incomplete testicular descent.

The paper, published Friday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that the more a mother was exposed to the chemicals, called phthalates (THAL-ates), the greater the chance her boy's reproductive development would be harmed. Similar changes have led to decreased semen quality and fertility in rodents.

Forget cancer, this one is serious.
I hope that they continue to do tests on chemicals that people are constantly exposed to. It sounds like preganant women and the children they are carrying are always the ones with the most to worry about when it comes to chemicals or medications.

If you saw me in bed you'd think my mom worked in a plastics factory while she was carrying me! I just hope the effects aren't entirely irreversable, and that someday I will not be afraid to get a shower with the rest of the inmates.

I didn't know it shrank the whole package, so to speak..I was under the impression it was just the testes effected.

I submitted an article about this last night, laughed for a good five minutes at my own title...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

"Phthalates Proven Harmful to Testes"



Sorry...

Anyway, the big question in my mind is this..how long have the chemical concerns known..are they using these chemicals to sterilize targetted populations, and is it reversible?

It seems to be a bit more than just a small penis. It affectes testes also as observed in mice and the recent study with male children, but what these articles don't speak of is the long term effects.

My questions:
- Small genitals and undescended testes are often related to low testosterone levels or chromosonal disorders. do these chemicals cause either of these things to occur?
- What are the effects of these chemicals when the child hits puberty? are they permanent?
- How are these chemicals absorbed? When applied directly to the skin? When plastics are simply handled? Is it just when consumed such as lipstick being eaten of ones own lips from a plastic tube?
- Are girls affected or hyperfeminized?
- If testes are affected, are gametes (sperm) compromised or will sperm production be normal? are sperm damaged in some way?
- Do these chemicals harm already developed males and their genitals?
- Are phthalates listed on packaging under other names? Is this a group of chemicals?
- Undescended testes = sterility in men if they do not descend into the scrotum. Cound this be used to control other factors in a population through the use of these chemicals?
- Are these chemicals frequently in food packaging?
- Are the chemicals themselves the issue or the combination in the products themselves or people who use the products just more likely to be at risk for other things that cause these problems?

The recent studies leave a lot open for interpretation and a lot of questions not even close to being answered.

I'm sorry, but I have to point out that when I read this title:

"Common chemicals called phthalates can lead to smaller penises"

I thought you were talking about some type of detection device.

*blink*

"this one is serious"

that was great...

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
I didn't know it shrank the whole package, so to speak..I was under the impression it was just the testes effected.

Sorry I missed your thread.
Anyway, it does appear to affect penile sizes if exposed in utero.
This is a study done on rabbits:

Toxicological Sciences

The most pronounced reproductive effects were in male rabbits exposed in utero. Male offspring in this group exhibited reduction in numbers of ejaculated sperm (down 43%; p < 0.01), in weights of testes (at 12 weeks, down 23%; p < 0.05) and in accessory sex glands (at 12 and 25 weeks, down 36%; p < 0.01 and down 27%; p < 0.05, respectively). Serum testosterone levels were down (at 6 weeks, 32%; p < 0.05); a slight increase in histological alterations of the testis (p < 0.05) and a doubling in the percentage (from 16 to 30%, p < 0.01) of abnormal sperm; and 1/17 males manifesting hypospadias, hypoplastic prostate, and cryptorchid testes with carcinoma in situ-like cells.

AceofBase
No apologies necessary, everybody missed the story.

RedBalloon

- Small genitals and undescended testes are often related to low testosterone levels or chromosonal disorders. do these chemicals cause either of these things to occur?
- What are the effects of these chemicals when the child hits puberty? are they permanent?
- How are these chemicals absorbed? When applied directly to the skin? When plastics are simply handled? Is it just when consumed such as lipstick being eaten of ones own lips from a plastic tube?
- Are girls affected or hyperfeminized?
- If testes are affected, are gametes (sperm) compromised or will sperm production be normal? are sperm damaged in some way?
- Do these chemicals harm already developed males and their genitals?
- Are phthalates listed on packaging under other names? Is this a group of chemicals?
- Undescended testes = sterility in men if they do not descend into the scrotum. Cound this be used to control other factors in a population through the use of these chemicals?
- Are these chemicals frequently in food packaging?
- Are the chemicals themselves the issue or the combination in the products themselves or people who use the products just more likely to be at risk for other things that cause these problems?

I'll try to answer your questions in order, but I'm not an authority on phthalates or anything, so take my replies with a grain of salt.

-Hormone levels appear to have been lowered in boys, based on this study. The hormone levels were altered, and this led to the stunted growth of the reproductive system - as I understand it.
-The study is ongoing, and will attempt to answer those second two questions as time goes on.
-I think they're absorbed by contact with the skin, but most certainly by ingestion. So don't eat lipstick or vinyl paint, no matter how safe the manufacturers proclaim their products.
-A separate study should be done with girls. This study was done to identify the effects of phthalates on the reproductive systems of boys, from womb to adulthood. I don't think most of the data from this study can be applied to girls. It would be a worthwhile study to undertake though.
-Sperm were observed damaged and dead in animal tests. This would presumably be the case for humans as well. The greater the exposure, the greater the damage, on a sliding scale. Low level exposure produced no huge damage, but the problem is in limiting your exposure, since these chemicals are practically everywhere.
-phthalates are a group of chemicals, many, many chemicals. www.phthalates.com...
-I do believe there is more to this story than meets the eye. With targetted marketing, these products could be 'delivered' into the homes of undesirables. I'm very skeptical of this, but it seems entirely possible. I used to think nobody was this evil..but I've seen evidence to the contrary. Weren't we just reading the other week about NC sterilizing people without their knowledge? This could very well be widespread, covert, corporate-backed, eugenics.
-Yes. Food packaging is often plasticized to varying degrees.
-I don't know, honestly. I would bet money that the chemicals themselves interfere with our cellular instructions for building healthy cells. However, it's entirely possible that the study is bunk, and this is just a scare tactic. It's also possible that the chemicals themselves are simply visible corrolaries, when in fact it's some other genetic predisposition that makes people unable to metabolize these compounds. More study is required, IMO.