Pesticides and chemical pollution cause early loss of fertility in women

Wednesday, January 06, 2016 by: PF Louis
Tags: pesticides, chemical pollution, fertility

---

(NaturalNews) A study published in the journal PLOS ONE in January 2015 investigated the links between known endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that continue to wreak havoc on health even after they've been banned, with a focus on early menopause in women that may also lead to fertility issues.

The study, titled, "Persistent Organic Pollutants and Early Menopause in U.S. Women," assessed blood and urine samples of 31,575 females who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2008. It was determined that 15 major chemicals were linked to an early onset of menopause. The chemicals were also found to jeopardize ovarian function.

A closer look at the chemicals linked to women's health problems

What's disturbing about POPs is that, despite being banned, they still exist in the food chain and in the environment. Of those 15, one was furan, a toxic by product of incineration and other industrial processes. The others included two forms of phylates from plastics and three types of agrochemical pesticides.

The remaining nine were PCBs (polychlorinated byphenyls), another contribution from Monsanto and Dow Chemical, the same folks who wish to control the food supply with genetically modified crops that can withstand their toxic pesticides and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs).

Agrochemicals and other pollutants linked to bevy of health issues

This isn't the first time POPs have been associated with health problems. Other similar studies have also linked POPs, many of which are agrochemicals, to reduced sperm counts in males, increases in autism, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other adverse neurological effects such as Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Even though many organochlorines such as DDT have been banned, residues exist in human blood samples (see the Bill Moyer's video later in this article), as do organophosphates that produce neurological problems. Furthermore, neocotinoids that are killing off pollinating bees have emerged as the current poisons of choice.

To stay as healthy as possible, it's recommended to consume as much USDA organic-labeled foods and/or foods bought from local farmers who don't use synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. At least avoid the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" listed here and instead, choose from their "Clean 15" list.

How come so few know about the systematic poisoning we endure?

Federal regulators have failed miserably to protect us from the harmful effects of "Better Living Through Chemistry," DuPont Chemical Company's old logo motto for several decades. Today, around 75,000 industrial and agricultural chemicals are produced or imported in the USA.

The so-called Toxic Substances Control Act enacted in 1976 approved 63,000 chemicals "safe as used," -- without safety scrutiny -- on the very same day the law was passed. Since then, there has been very little testing, and when there has been, it's often occurred several years after these chemicals have been in use.

Despite safety recommendations based on those tests, the EPA and FDA have, unfortunately, protected corporations and allowed them to continue business as usual.

And now new legislative proposals to "improve" the Toxic Substances Control Act actually seek to increase allowances for agrochemicals beyond what is already used. EWG has a petition set up to hopefully halt this madness.

According to the website, Beyond Pesticides, "EPA's risk assessment fails to look at chemical mixtures, synergistic effects, certain health endpoints (such as endocrine disruption), disproportionate effects to vulnerable population groups, and regular noncompliance with product label directions."

The site continues, "These deficiencies contribute to its severe limitations in defining real world poisoning, as captured by epidemiological studies in the database."

A good example is how GBHs such as Roundup are allowed on FDA's GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) ruling on glyphosate. It's not true to begin with, and the "inactive" surfactant adjuvants used by GBHs are independently toxic and contribute toward even worse synergistic toxic events.

Sadly, nothing of regulatory significance happens until great damage has become widespread. By then, those chemical residues have penetrated into our environment, lingering even after they're banned. Even then, they still show up in blood, urine and birth cord samples.

A famous example of how this information is suppressed by those concerned about such exposure is demonstrated in a video by TV journalist Bill Moyers, made over a decade ago. It outlines how many POPs (over 80) were in his blood. His report for PBS was not aired, but you can view it here.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org

http://sustainablepulse.com

http://www.scientificamerican.com

http://www.ewg.org

http://www.beyondpesticides.org^[PDF]

http://www.plosone.org

www.Glyphosate.news