By Jill Erzen

People can’t afford to wait for regulators to protect them from toxic chemicals in plastics and other everyday products, environmental epidemiologist Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., said this week on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

“The regulatory agencies are not doing the job,” she said. Until that changes, it’s up to individuals to understand the risks posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals and to start reducing their exposure, she added.

Swan pointed to a growing body of research linking chemical exposure from plastics to declining fertility and broader health problems. Studies show that men with lower fertility tend to die younger.

She described fertility as a “canary in the coal mine” — an early warning that multiple systems in the body are under stress. Fatigue, reduced vitality and reproductive problems don’t happen in isolation. “It’s … never just one thing,” she said.

That trend is already showing up in ways that are hard to ignore. “Fertility is in the toilet,” Swan said.

Host Joe Rogan said the implications go beyond individual health and point to a broader demographic shift.

“America is also facing a potential population collapse,” he said. “People don’t think about that, but our reproduction numbers … they’re down quite a bit. And they’re not at the level that we need in order to keep our population,” host Joe Rogan said.

Swan agreed, calling it “a huge societal problem.”

Rogan said the pattern points to a deeper issue. “We’re being poisoned, and we’re doing it by virtue of our modern world that we live in, where so much of your life relies on plastic,” he said.

People don’t know how ‘to eliminate these things’ from their lives

A big part of the problem is the gap between what scientists know and what the public understands.

In an earlier interview, Swan warned that environmental toxins could threaten human survival. Rogan responded with a question that stuck: “Why don’t people know about this?”

Swan said the moment pushed her to step outside academic circles and launch the Action Science Initiative, a program aimed at connecting with the public and driving “meaningful regulatory and behavioral change.”

In the past, the research stayed inside the “ivory tower,” shared among scientists but rarely reaching everyday people, Swan said. Now, the focus is awareness and action.

Rogan said education on toxins must include practical know-how. Most people don’t understand “the steps that people need to take in order to eliminate these things” from their lives, he said.

Many still treat the issue as distant or abstract, when it’s not.

“This directly impacts you,” Rogan said. “It directly impacts your health, your energy levels, your vitality right now.”

Much of Swan’s work focuses on plastic-related chemicals called plasticizers. These include phthalates and bisphenol A or BPA, which manufacturers use to make materials more flexible or durable. They’re in everything from food packaging to personal care products.

Microplastics add another layer. They are “the actual pieces of plastic that carry the plasticizers along with them,” Swan said. They do “double damage” by delivering chemicals that physically enter cells.

Film asks: Does lower chemical exposure increase fertility? 

Swan’s research is featured in the Netflix documentary “The Plastic Detox,” which follows couples with unexplained infertility as they try to reduce their chemical exposure.

The couples had no known medical cause of infertility and no obvious risk factors. Researchers tracked what they used every day — from personal care products to household cleaners — then coached them on safer alternatives.

“Tell me about what you put on your face this morning … what you washed your clothes with … what you clean your counters with,” Swan said, describing the process.

Participants made changes over several months while researchers monitored chemical levels in their bodies, sperm quality and daily habits — and, ultimately, who became pregnant.

The film centers on a straightforward question: “If we lower people’s exposure to chemicals that are in plastic, can we change their fertility?” Swan said the implications go beyond reproduction, pointing to links with heart disease, stroke and developmental problems.

‘The rate at which plastic production is increasing is astounding’

Despite the risks, Swan said oversight in the U.S. falls short.

While many people assume products are tested for safety, she noted that far fewer chemicals are banned in U.S. personal care products than in Europe.

“Government should be doing this. It’s not our job,” she added.

But both Swan and Rogan said waiting for regulation isn’t realistic.

Plasticizers are made from fossil fuel byproducts, tying the issue to a much larger industrial system. “The forces against eliminating them are not only the manufacturers of the plastic, but it’s also the fossil fuel industry,” Swan said.

“The rate at which plastic production is increasing is astounding. … and no end in sight,” she said.

Rogan was blunt. “I don’t think you’re going to get the government to act about this stuff,” he said. “I think this has to be done on an individual level.”

‘These exposures are all over the place’

A big part of Swan’s message is helping people see how constant the exposure is.

It’s not just plastic packaging. It’s nonstick cookware, stain-resistant and waterproof clothing, school uniforms, workout gear, dyed fabrics and even paper coffee cups lined with plastic.

“A lot of kids have school uniforms and they’re loaded with it,” Swan said, referring to PFAS — so-called “forever chemicals.”

Everyday habits add up, she said. Plastic containers, takeout packaging, fragranced lotions and household cleaners all contribute to what scientists call the “body burden,” or the total buildup of chemicals in the body.

“These exposures are all over the place,” Swan said.

And they don’t just affect humans. Wildlife exposed through water, soil and food show similar reproductive problems, reinforcing the broader environmental impact.

‘What’s your health worth?’

For Swan, the biggest challenge isn’t a lack of science; it’s a lack of awareness.

“This is not new,” she said. “And no one knows.”

Rogan said that disconnect shows up in daily routines — like people lining up at coffee shops for drinks in plastic-coated paper cups.

“People just dismiss it. … They don’t think anything of it,” he said. “And they’re just consuming these chemicals that mess up your health, mess up your vitality, your energy levels, everything.”

Swan said reducing exposure requires consistent changes, not perfection.

Simple swaps — like using glass or stainless steel containers, choosing fragrance-free products, avoiding plastic food storage and opting for PFAS-free clothing — can lower exposure over time.

Convenience may take a hit, but the payoff can be worth it.

“What’s your health worth?” Rogan asked.

Swan said momentum is building. “We just have to get everybody on board and just say, ‘No I’m not going to use that stuff,’” she said.

Watch Swan on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ here:

Related articles in The Defender

• Nanoplastics Slip Into Brain Cells, Disrupt Puberty and Fertility Hormones
• Raincoats, Undies, School Uniforms: Are Your Clothes Dripping in ‘Forever Chemicals’?
• What’s Behind Plummeting Fertility Rates?
• ‘Forever Chemicals’ Disrupt Placenta During Critical First Trimester
• Over 300 Toxic Chemicals, Including Drugs and Pesticides, Found in Baby Clothes

The post ‘Fertility Is in the Toilet’: Scientist Calls Chemical Exposure a ‘Huge Societal Problem’ appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.

 

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