Gender-Bender Toxins are Everywhere

Funny name for a topic, right? Not really. When I was in my last year of training as a Chief Resident in Pediatrics who was doing a years worth of training in Pediatric Endocrinology, I saw a number of children referred to the KU Children’s Center for early-onset puberty.

I thought I had learned all of the reasons why children begin to mature early. A number of years later, I had a new patient show up in my office with early-onset breast development, with significant breast development. Problem was, she was only four years of age. Also significant was the fact her mother had also experienced a 2-cup enlargement of her own breasts during the same time span. It was pretty obvious that they were both taking something that influenced the size of their breasts. It didn’t take long to find the common source–they were both eating meat from a local farmer who used hormones to “beef up” his cattle. The problem went away after they switched to a different meat supplier.

So what is the significance of the story I just told you? Various studies are indicating that unregulated chemicals released into the environment are causing male animals and humans to take on feminine characteristics. These waste-product chemicals, nicknamed “gender-benders,” are causing the males in many species to become feminized. In British British lowland rivers, 50 percent of male fish were found to be growing eggs in their testes. Hermaphrodite polar bears have also been born. In Lake Meade in the US, male fish are trying to lay eggs because of the concentration of estrogen or estrogen-like chemicals in the water.  Six months ago, former Vice-President Al Gore said that the polar bear population was decreasing due to global warming. But studies have shown that there is significant estrogens in the polar ice caps down to at least 3 feet. This may be the real reason. Since all vertebrates have similar sex hormone receptors, the feminization of other animals could indicate a similar pattern in humans.

One of the things we have discovered in the past couple of years are that endocrine disrupting chemicals are everywhere these days. You are exposed to them from a variety of sources, including countless common
household products, toys, and personal care products.

So What are These “Gender-Bender” Agents?

Phthalates

Exposure to phthalates can lead to incomplete testicular descent in
fetuses. Phthalates are found in vinyl flooring, detergents, automotive plastics, soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, nail polish, plastic bags, food packaging, garden hoses, inflatable toys, blood-storage bags, and intravenous medical tubing.

Bisphenol A or BPA

A common ingredient in many plastics, including those in reusable
water bottles and resins lining some food cans and dental sealants, can change the course of fetal development in a way that increases your risk of breast cancer.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)

Found in grease- and water-resistant coatings like Teflon and Gore-Tex, is a likely carcinogen.

Methoxychlor and Vinclozin

An insecticide and a fungicide respectively, have been found to
cause changes to male mice born for as many as four subsequent
generations after the initial exposure.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)

Known to be potent endocrine disrupters, these chemicals affect
gene expression by turning on or off certain genes, and interfere with the way your glandular system works. They mimic the female hormone estrogen, and have been implicated as one reason behind some marine species switching from male to female.

Bovine Growth Hormones

commonly added to commercial dairy has been implicated as a contributor to premature adolescence.

MSG

A food additive that’s been linked to reduced fertility and migraine headaches

Fluoride

This chemical in the U.S. water supply has been linked to lower fertility rates, hormone disruption and low sperm counts.

But what these various substances all have in common? They can affect your and your children’s endocrine system and reproductive health. The glands of your endocrine system and the hormones they release influence almost every cell, organ, and function of your body. It is instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes.

So is this all hype or is it true that males are “slowly disappearing” or morphing into females? Many studies now indicate these toxins may indeed be wreaking silent havoc within our male population.

Male infertility is on the rise, and, about 250,000 fewer boys have been born in the last 30 years in the United States and Japan. Scientists are linking these phenomena to a body accumulation of these types of gender-bending toxins.

Let’s Look Closer at Phthalates

Phthalates, or “plasticizers,” are a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible and resilient. They’re one of the most pervasive of the endocrine disrupters. They are common in toys, food packaging, hoses, raincoats, shower curtains, vinyl flooring and wall coverings, lubricants and adhesives, detergents and beauty products (nail polish, hair spray, shampoo and purfumes).

Although the Chem TRUST’s study focused on the ill effects of various endocrine disruptors on wildlife, their disturbing findings are also relevant for humans, because all vertebrates have similar sex hormone receptors. The feminization of other animals, such as polar bears, deer, whales and otters, just to name a few, could very well indicate that a similar pattern is taking place in humans as well.

Their study listed the symptoms found in each of the numerous species tested, which included testicular cancer, hermaphrodites, genital
deformations, low sperm counts, and infertility. And, in fact, numerous
studies over the past eight years confirm that similar dangers are posed to human health.

So what’s the evidence that these chemicals may affect humans? One study found that pregnant women who are exposed to phthalates gave birth more than one week earlier than women who were not exposed to them. And, the more a pregnant woman is exposed to high levels of phthalates, the greater the risk her son will have smaller genitals and incomplete testicular descent, leading to impaired reproductive development. The chemical also appears to make the overall genital tracts of boys slightly more feminine. It is believed that the mechanism by which phthalates have these adverse effects is the reduction of testosterone synthesis by interfering with an enzyme needed to produce the male hormone.

So if phthalates can disrupt this endocrine pathway, can they also affect other pathways too? Other studies have linked the chemical to thyroid problems in both women and men, and researchers have also suggested a link between phthalates and illnesses like allergies, asthma, and contact dermatitis, all of which are on the rise in children.

For more information about the various health hazards inherent with each of these agents, please click on the individual links below.

Sources:

• Finding Dulcinea, December 9, 2008
• ChemTRUST

  (Free Full-Text Report), “Effects of Pollutants on the Reproductive

  Health of Male Vertebrate Wildlife—Males Under Threat”

• Globe and Mail, October 7, 2008
• Environmental Research, October 2008; 108(2):177-84