Chemicals ARE turning the frogs gay!

in #science7 years ago (edited)

It's one of the more ridiculous things Alex Jones has said and by now a well-established internet meme. However there's actually some truth to it.

The frogs and fish aren't being turned gay; rather males are turning into females, with fully functioning reproductive systems. There is also suspected human effects with male sperm production and the quality of sperm declining throughout the world.

The suspected causes are mainly pesticides and plastics; specifically exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) contained in pesticides and plastics.

The following is an introduction from a study from the U.S Library of Medicine:

"Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are estrogen-like and/or anti-androgenic compounds that disrupt and interfere with the production, release, transport, metabolism, binding, or elimination of natural hormones in the body responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the regulation of developmental processes. EDCs include persistent pesticides and herbicides, methoxychlor, biocides, heat stabilizers, and chemical catalysts, plastic contaminants, pharmaceuticals, or dietary components. Those exogenous compounds can arise from industrial and domestic effluents or agricultural and urban runoff. The general population continues to be exposed to EDCs through ingestion of contaminated food, inhalation of contaminated air and dust, and skin contact, while some areas are subjected to greater risk due to geographical and cultural reasons. Due to temporal downward trends in semen quality and testosterone levels and increased rates of testicular cancers among adult male populations, scientific researchers, and the general public have become increasingly concerned regarding the potential risk of EDCs to men’s reproductive health. Cellular models and animal toxicological studies have demonstrated that EDCs can exert adverse effects on the male reproductive system. In humans, there are a growing number of epidemiological studies about EDCs and detrimental reproductive function. However, a potential decline in human male reproductive health and a link to exposure to endocrine active chemicals in the environment has been controversial for almost two decades."

The TLDR version of that paragraph is that these contaminants are interfering with male reproduction and suspected of contributing to testicular and prostate cancer.

That was the science now let's get to my layman's pseudo-science ;)

It's clear to me that younger males are far more feminine than our fathers were. I'm in my thirties and I wasn't particularly hyper-masculine growing up but when I hang around with younger men I often feel like a cave-dwelling troglodyte who's been left behind and I'm still relatively young. There have been polls that show that younger men don't consider themselves masculine so it's not an entirely anecdotal-based theory.

The following image is taken from the Washington Post:

masculinity.jpg

It shows that the younger the male; the less masculine they feel. Add this changing attitudes on masculinity to the scientific data from both humans and river wildlife and a worrying trend seems to be emerging. That something is feminising men.

Now you could say these are political/fashion trends and the two are entirely unconnected and you may be right, but unless we want some Children of Men-style future where the birth rate drops to zero it might be worthy of more attention than Alex Jones and a few internet memes.

So what can be done?

One thing you could do on a personal level is eat only organic foods that you know and trust the source of. Yes it's expensive but ultimately worth it. Even females should do this as from what I understand these EDCs aren't good for women and girls either. You could also avoid drinking or eating from plastic containers.

As for environmental contamination, if companies saw their profits drop due to customers avoiding foods contaminated with EDCs they would stop using them and the environmental contamination would cease. Maybe write to the companies involved and tell them in no uncertain terms why you're not buying their products any more.

If enough people are interested I may do some further research and name some of the products to avoid.

Source for quote: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046332/

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Hi @purpleprose,

I appreciate the citation of the author of the quote you used. The work you produced originally ended up being overshadowed by such a large direct quote. Without coming across as critical, I think your work would benefit from smaller quotes that you speak directly to (possibly explain some science jargon that was used in the quote and discuss the implications of the findings). Including excessively large direct quotes, while faboulous in transparency, will often be entirely skipped by non-academic audiences as it is just too much to take in without the author 'holding their hand' through the complex content.

Great writing overall and it's great to see informed people dispelling the rubbish that people like Alex Jones perpetuate on the internet.

All the best,
Nick

I'm linking to this post in a new article about gay frogs and gay people and the banned Alex Jones and free speech.

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