Thinking of having children? Wondering whether your sperm has been compromised by years of eating lunchables and drinking from a battered Nalgene?

A growing body of evidence suggests sperm counts may have dropped by nearly half since the 1970s. Commentators have blamed obesity, nutrition, even feminism. But the more I dug into the research, the more one culprit kept coming up: the endocrine disrupting chemicals hiding in plain sight in our food packaging, furniture, products with fragrances, and even children’s toys. This isn’t some MAHA conspiracy, it’s well documented, and there’s even a Netflix doc about it, though they kind of muddy the waters by talking too much about microplastics (more on those in a future episode).

In this episode of Just Keep Swimming, I sat down with Dr Julia Brody and Ruthann Rudel of Silent Spring Institute — two of the leading environmental health researchers — to understand what EDCs actually do to the male reproductive system, why the damage done in the womb and in childhood can be permanent, and what any of us can actually do about it.

One thing that stopped me cold. Most people assume that if a product is on the shelf, it’s been tested for safety. It hasn’t. That assumption may be costing you your shot at having a kid. This one closes with practical steps you can take today — no off-grid homesteading required. And for more practical tips, don’t forget to check out Silent Spring’s Detox Me app.Non-Toxic is supported by people like you. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.