The Plastic Detox: Reducing Endocrine Disruptors for Better Fertility and Human Health
Reality Roundtable #23 with Dr. Shanna Swan & Sian Sutherland
The number of couples struggling to become pregnant due to unexplained infertility is growing at an alarming rate across the globe. Alongside this concerning rise is the growing awareness of how endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) – particularly those found in plastics and personal care products – are negatively affecting our hormonal health and overall well-being. If we removed or reduced EDCs from the environments of couples struggling to conceive – dramatically reducing their exposure – is it possible their fertility would be improved?
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Shanna Swan, an award-winning scientist, and Sian Sutherland, a plastics expert, to discuss Shanna’s new Netflix documentary, titled The Plastic Detox, where she enacts a real-world ‘plastic intervention’ in the lives of six couples struggling with unexplained infertility – with the hope that they are able to get pregnant by the end of the study. Additionally, Sian shares the strategies her organization has been using to increase regulation of EDC-containing products and increase the availability of plastic-free options. Shanna and Sian also discuss how they’re bringing their work together for the Plastic Free Babies campaign, which emphasizes why avoiding toxic chemical exposure during the first one-thousand days of a baby’s life is so important to preventing generational effects on overall health and fertility.
How might reducing our exposure to EDCs such as phthalates, bisphenols, and parabens improve markers of hormonal health and create ripple effects on our overall quality of life? What is the reasonable responsibility of our governments to test and regulate the safety of products on the market – and are our current institutions fulfilling those expectations? Finally, could addressing the toxins and pollution related to declining fertility lead us down a path of broader systemic change for the entire web of life?
Want to dive deeper into the concepts covered in this episode? Follow along with the Show Notes & Links to Learn More, which you can find at the bottom of the page for every episode of The Great Simplification, or you can download them here.
In case you missed it…
Last week’s Frankly marked the second installment of my recurring series, Uncomfortable Questions in Unsettled Times, where I pose questions about our shared future. While the first edition posed broad questions about civilizational trajectory, this episode was prompted by the Iran situation and what happens when geopolitics stops feeling distant and starts arriving as supply chain disruptions, rising prices, fear, and renewed stories about enemies and allies.
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There are myriad physical stressors impacting crashing human fertility. Soon even Africa will reach replacement fertility, and then shrinkage. (likely this century) Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome explains it. Reg Morrison calls it Evolution's Automatic Plague Limiter. See: ~80% into this short course: http://www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/THOC/gambler.pdf
I'm generally skeptical of protocols advertised as 'detoxes' or 'cleanses,' but in this case, it's the perfect description. Avoiding endocrine toxins earns that catchy terminology!