Count Down : How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race

In the tradition of Silent Spring and The Sixth Extinction , an urgent, "disturbing, empowering, and essential" ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) book about the ways in which chemicals in the modern environment are changing—and endangering—human sexuality and fertility on the grandest scale, from renowned epidemiologist Shanna Swan. In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe—but the story didn't end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one. How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development—potentially including the increase in gender fluidity—and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is "staggering in its findings" (Erin Brockovich, The Guardian) and "will serve as an awakening" ( The New York Times Book Review ). In the tradition of Silent Spring and The Sixth Extinction , an urgent, meticulously researched, and groundbreaking book about the ways in which chemicals in the modern environment are changing--and endangering--human sexuality and fertility on the grandest scale, from renowned epidemiologist Shanna Swan. In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe--but the story didn't end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one. How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development--potentially including the increase in gender fluidity--and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is at once an urgent wake-up call, an illuminating read, and a vital tool for the protection of our future "In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe--but the story didn't end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one. How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development--potentially including the increase in gender fluidity--and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is at once an urgent wake-up call, an illuminating read, and a vital tool for the protection of our future"-- Provided by publisher Title Page Dedication Prologue Part I: The Changing Landscape of Sex and Fertility Chapter 1: Reproductive Shock: Hormonal Havoc in Our Midst Chapter 2: The Diminished Male: Where Have All the Good Sperm Gone? Chapter 3: It Takes Two to Tango: Her Side of the Story Chapter 4: Gender Fluidity: Beyond Male and Female Part II: The Sources and Timing of These Shifts Chapter 5: Windows of Vulnerability: Timing Is Everything Chapter 6: Up Close and Personal: Lifestyle Habits That Can Sabotage Fertility Chapter 7: Silent, Ubiquitous Threats: The Dangers of Plastics and Modern Chemicals Part III: The Reverberating Fallout Chapter 8: The Long Reach of Exposures: Reproductive Ripple Effects Chapter 9: Imperiling the Planet: It’s Not Just about Humans Chapter 10: Imminent Social Insecurities: Demographic Deviations and the Unraveling of Cultural Institutions Part IV: What We Can Do about This Chapter 11: A Personal Protection Plan: Cleaning Up Our Harmful Habits Chapter 12: Reducing the Chemical Footprint in Your Home: Making It a Safer Haven Chapter 13: Envisioning a Healthier Future: What Needs to Be Done Conclusion Acknowledgments Resources Glossary About the Authors Selected Bibliography Index Copyright