Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola STORY AT-A-GLANCE Endocrine-disrupting chemicals have “hijacked” human hormones, causing problems with reproduction and declining sperm counts The book “Count Down,” written by Shanna Swan, a reproductive epidemiologist, is based on her 2017 study, which found sperm counts dropped by 59.3% from 1973 to 2011 Human beings already meet three of the five criteria for what makes a species endangered, according to Swan, and endocrine-disrupting “everywhere chemicals” are a key culprit Men today have about half the number of sperm compared to their grandfathers, and a significant part of the global population may not be able to reproduce without technological assistance come 2050 EDCs interfere with endogenous hormones, and it’s been found that some effects of exposure persist in future generations, even among males that weren’t directly exposed Plastic is such a ubiquitous part of modern life that it’s hard to imagine a world without it. But in the ...