04/10/2024
The Peter Tatchell Foundation for Human Rights links to a report from the Guardian this week which reveals that microplastics have now been found in the tissue of men's penises, along with seminal fluid and testes. In an article which will give many of us cause to affirm our support for environmental protest movements, the Guardian quotes researchers as saying that the role that microplastics may be playing in decreasing sperm counts and cellular degradation must be examined. Dr Ranjith Ramasamy, who led the new research while at the University of Miami in the US, said “We found that microplastics were present in the smooth muscle of the penis. All we know is that they are not supposed to be there, and we suspect that it could lead to smooth muscle dysfunction.” Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades and 40% of low counts remain unexplained, although chemical pollution has been implicated by many studies. Recent studies in mice have reported that microplastics reduced sperm count and caused abnormalities and hormone disruption.
