Plastic chemicals 'may feminise boys' brains'

[drummer]

Monday, 16 November 2009

Chemicals used in plastics could be "feminising" the brains of baby boys, a study published today has suggested.

Research into pregnant women has shown those with a higher concentration of two phthalates in their urine produced sons less likely to play with male toys such as trucks and games like play-fighting.

The study, led by the University of Rochester Medical Centre and published in the International Journal of Andrology, examined the play of 145 pre-school children.

Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastics and recent studies have shown that the major source of human exposure to the two phthalates of most concern - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate, (DBP) - is through food, the researchers said.

The study showed higher concentrations of metabolites of DEHP and DBP were associated with less "male-typical" behaviour in boys in a play questionnaire.

No other phthalate metabolites measured in the womb was linked to the less-masculine behaviour and girls' play was not associated with phthalate levels in their mothers.

Earlier studies by the lead author of the study, Professor Shanna Swan, and others have shown that phthalate exposure during pregnancy might affect the development of genitals of both male rodents and baby boys.

Commenting on the latest research, Prof Swann said: "Our results need to be confirmed, but are intriguing on several fronts."

"Not only are they consistent with our prior findings that link phthalates to altered male genital development, but they also are compatible with current knowledge about how hormones mold sex differences in the brain, and thus behaviour. We have more work to do, but the implications are potentially profound."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/...21575.html

[FastTadpole]

CBC did a piece on this years ago called The Disappearing Male

http://concen.org/tracker/torrents-details.php?id=3419

There is also an informative list posted at http://www.chem-tox.com/infertility/ listing environmental factors of infertility.

[FastTadpole]

A 2 year study recently completed a full toxicology scan on 10 umbilical chords and found 232 toxic chemicals. Commonly present was BPA in 9 out of the 10 samples. BPA is an estrogen-like chemical found in many products and that’s linked to early puberty, childhood obesity, breast cancer and neurological, behavioral changes and low sperm counts. Infertility treatments were $1 billion a year industry -- in 1994.
http://www.ewg.org/minoritycordblood/fullreport

[mastermg]

(12-04-2009 09:01 AM)FastTadpole Wrote:  A 2 year study recently completed a full toxicology scan on 10 umbilical chords and found 232 toxic chemicals. Commonly present was BPA in 9 out of the 10 samples. BPA is an estrogen-like chemical found in many products and that’s linked to early puberty, childhood obesity, breast cancer and neurological, behavioral changes and low sperm counts. Infertility treatments were $1 billion a year industry -- in 1994.
http://www.ewg.org/minoritycordblood/fullreport

They found this prevailent in African Americans, Asians, and I think Latinos. I think this study degrades the minority races. Their sample size consisted of 10 mothers?

[FastTadpole]

(12-04-2009 08:14 PM)mastermg Wrote:  

(12-04-2009 09:01 AM)FastTadpole Wrote:  A 2 year study recently completed a full toxicology scan on 10 umbilical chords and found 232 toxic chemicals. Commonly present was BPA in 9 out of the 10 samples. BPA is an estrogen-like chemical found in many products and that’s linked to early puberty, childhood obesity, breast cancer and neurological, behavioral changes and low sperm counts. Infertility treatments were $1 billion a year industry -- in 1994.
http://www.ewg.org/minoritycordblood/fullreport

They found this prevailent in African Americans, Asians, and I think Latinos. I think this study degrades the minority races. Their sample size consisted of 10 mothers?

Admittedly, not a very wide study but something of larger scale would have required a great deal of resources to scan the spectrum of substances as they did, but it's worth noting nonetheless. It was limited to ethnic minorities since statistically they are exposed to more toxins, just a fact nothing deeper there.

[FastTadpole]

Quote:The Benfell Blog - Gender imbalances in selected countries

Not sure what to make of these numbers (see article for several graphs)

http://digg.com/health/The_Benfell_Blog_..._countries
http://benfell.livejournal.com/481557.html

It seems contrary to the initial threads conclusion but wars, culture and longevity definitely play a factor. Women have always been slightly more common in any stats I have seen. Attention should be paid to the more recent birth rates for a correlation with plastics.

A more pressing issue is the more obvious trend towards lower sperm counts in men.

[joeblow]

I am sick and tired of people only talking and whining about problems, here are some solutions that I have discussed many times on my show:

1. Exercise excessively.
2. Proviron against low testosterone.
3. Letrozole against male-breats.
4. Lugo's solution for iodine deficiency.
5. Wheat grass alkanizes.

[FastTadpole]

Thanks for the info Mr. Blow. Can you please post a reference or three or a link to the broadcast?

.. and there is a fine line between whining and raising awareness but solutions should always be a priority regardless of the issue. Hence the forum. That said we should have well thought out solutions and bounce them off of eachother -- if we are going to take it to the next phases of promotion and implementation. ConCen is a vehicle that serves as a useful testing ground for certain solutions although engagement is lacking at times. I'd like to see the community show it's true commitment reflective of our collective knowledge and experience - then we'd really have something really special here.

Now back to the news ...

Quote:Gender-bending chemicals 'triggering early puberty in girls and putting them at risk of diabetes and cancer'

By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 4:39 PM on 07th April 2010

Gender-bending chemicals used in food cans, shower curtains and toys may be triggering early puberty in girls - and putting them at greater risk of cancer and diabetes, researchers say.

A study has found evidence that three classes of hormone-mimicking chemicals disrupt the bodies of girls approaching adolescence.

Although the association is 'weak', the scientists say it raises serious questions about the causes of early puberty.

The average age of puberty in girls - ten years and three months - has fallen by more than a year in a single generation.

Doctors say improved diet and higher body weights of children is mostly to blame.

But some researchers believe environmental chemicals that mimic the sex hormone oestrogen could also be a factor.

The latest study found that exposure to three chemical classes - phthalates, phenols and phytoestrogens - can 'disrupt the timing of pubertal development' in young girls.

Phthalates are banned in cosmetics in Europe, but are allowed in the U.S.

Phenols include the widely used chemical Bisphenol A - which is used in the lining of food cans and shatter-proof baby bottles. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring chemicals found in soya, bread, cereals and nuts.

In tests, girls with the highest concentrations of some of the substances in their bodies tended to develop breasts and pubic hair earlier than those with the lowest levels.

   
Other chemicals appeared to delay puberty.

'Research has shown that early pubertal development in girls can have adverse social and medical effects, including cancer and diabetes later in life,' said Dr Mary Wolff, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

'Our research shows a connection between chemicals that girls are exposed to on a daily basis and either delayed or early development. While more research is needed, these data are an important first step in evaluating the impact of these common environmental agents in putting girls at risk.'

The findings come from a study of 1,151 American girls. The girls were aged between six and eight at the start of the study and were monitored for up to two years.

The scientists-found that all three chemicals were widely detectable in the girls' urine samples.

High exposure to some of the hormone-mimicking chemicals was 'weakly associated' with early signs of puberty. Exposure to others appeared to delay puberty.

The strongest links were seen with phthalates and phytoestrogens.

'We believe that there are certain periods of vulnerability in the development of the mammary gland, and exposure to these chemicals may influence breast cancer risk in adulthood,' Dr Wolff said.

Around a third of the girls in the study were showing signs of early puberty.

Hormone-disrupting chemicals can interfere with the body by mimicking oestrogen - or by blocking it. Their impact depends on the dose and their location in the body.

British puberty expert Professor Fran Ebling, of Nottingham University, said: 'Most of the associations in this study were weak and we know that weight is a much better predictor of early puberty. But this is a very well-designed study.

'There really is evidence that the average age girls are starting to develop breasts and pubic hair is getting lower so there's a lot of controversy as to why this is.

'Most of the evidence points at body, but there's a faint suspicion that environmental chemicals could be playing a role too.'

http://digg.com/health/Gender_bending_ch...y_in_girls
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/articl...ancer.html

[FastTadpole]

There is a cultural component (social engineering) that shouldn't be ignored in this. The ends are inclusive of but not limited to, depopulation, dehumanization of sex, quashing male dissent by inducing metrosexual feminine traits as desirable to women (or perceived as desirable) and spreading STDs through the medium of anus and the increasing casual nature of sex.

The Celtic Rebel (The Rebel Path) does a great job of exposing this in his broadcasts and blogs. Notably Social Engineering 101, Romance is Dead and A Return to Honour.

Audio archives available on the Tracker.

It's big in Japan!

Quote:Japanese Grass-eaters, a New Type of Metrosexual Men
By shinigami on 05-12-2009

If recent trends are anything to go by, Japanese men in their twenties are turning away from macho ideals like muscled bodies and business suits in favor of a more effeminate lifestyle. Dubbed as grass-eaters or Herbivore men, these young folk prefer facials and personal grooming over other activities like dating.



In most cases, Herbivore men are described as the polar opposite of the masculine men of the previous generations. Thus, these young ones who are in their 20s and 30s, disapprove of competitive habits and ambition.

And, unlike the confident nature often expected from a macho man, these young men are painfully shy around women.

Some even say that they are not that interested in sex.

Instead, they express a love for sweets and beauty habits like eyebrow plucking.

Furthermore, as opposed to the work-orientated lifestyle of their fathers, these men prioritize time with family and friends over work.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdrF_dAaZO4

Of course, there are many who are not shocked by such developments. Folks like Katsuhiko Kokobun, the owner of a hair salon called Guzzle, note that people were becoming more flexible about gender norms.

“It’s not so much that men are becoming more like women. It’s that the concept of masculinity is changing,” says he.

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/12/05/...exual-men/

[Easy Skanking]

I hear thousands of Japanese Samurai rolling over in their graves.

[Melchor]

BPA is pretty much in all aluminum cans as part of the lining, not just the brands listed. Also it's in a large majority of plastic food packaging. Mmmmm, mmmm. TV dinners are good. Water bottles are BPA free (though BPA is by no means the only endocrine disruptor in plastics.)

[FastTadpole]

A little off topic but in regards to aluminum.

The Effect Of Aluminum On The Human Brain
http://concen.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=26049

[FastTadpole]

13 Page report from StatsCan on Bisphenol A. It presents the numbers taken from urine samples and analysis of BPA concentrations by age and gender. Take this official study as you will. I was forced to pay for it, so I figured I may as well read it.

Lead and bisphenol A concentrations in the Canadian population
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/20...24-eng.pdf

Quote:BPA is recognized as an endocrine disruptor,although its estrogenic potency is under debate. Reproductive toxicity, including effects on fertility and development, has been identified as a key health effect of exposure to high concentrations. Some studies suggest that repeated maternal exposure could elevate BPA exposure in utero or in the newborn.

[nik]

nice one! tyvm ft!

---

pls. consider emailing a copy to Alan Watt of cutting through the Matrix..

[FastTadpole]

Another metrosexual culture symptomatic effect of the disproportionate amount of men in China due to the one child policy. It's being lubricated into the mainstream as it is being plugged as a great ab workout.

Quote:China’s Male Pole Dancers: A New And Growing Trend




After five years of study, Hao returned to his hometown as an accomplished pole dancer. Today, he earns £6,000 (US 8,000) a month dancing, and also works as a pole-dancing instructor.

Full Story: http://www.weirdasianews.com/2011/08/11/...ing-trend/

Male to female population ratio factoid:

Quote:US of A
0-14 years: 20.1% (male 32,107,900/female 30,781,823)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 104,411,352/female 104,808,064)
65 years and over: 13.1% (male 17,745,363/female 23,377,542) (2011 est.)

China
0-14 years: 17.6% (male 126,634,384/female 108,463,142)
15-64 years: 73.6% (male 505,326,577/female 477,953,883)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 56,823,028/female 61,517,001) (2011 est.)

European Union
0-14 years: 15.44% (male 38,992,677/female 36,940,450)
15-64 years: 67.23% (male 166,412,403/female 164,295,636)
65 years and over: 17.33% (male 35,376,333/female 49,853,361) (2009 est.)

Woldwide
0-14 years: 26.3% (male 944,987,919/female 884,268,378)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 2,234,860,865/female 2,187,838,153)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 227,164,176/female 289,048,221) (2011 est.)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications.../2010.html

Quote:The human sex ratio is of particular interest to anthropologists and demographers. In humans the secondary sex ratio is commonly assumed to be 105 boys to 100 girls (which sometimes is shortened to "a ratio of 105"). In human societies, however, sex ratios at birth may be considerably skewed by natural reasons such as the age of mother at birth[2], and unnatural reasons such as sex-selective abortion[citation needed]. The CIA estimates that the current world wide sex ratio at birth is 107 boys to 100 girls.[3] In 2010, the global sex ratio was 986 females per 1,000 males and trended to reduce to 984 in 2011.[4]

..

A research group led by Ein-Mor reported that sex ratio does not seem to change significantly with either maternal or paternal age. Neither gravidity nor parity seem to affect the male-to-female ratio.[34] However, there is a significant association of sex ratio with the length of gestation.[34] These Ein-mor conclusions have been disputed. For example, James suggested[35] that Ein-Mor results are based on some demographic variables and a small data set, a broader study of variables and larger population set suggests human sex ratio shows substantial variation for various reasons and different trend effects of length of gestation than those reported by Ein-Mor. In another study, James has offered the hypothesis that human sex ratios, and mammalian sex ratios in general, are causally related to the hormone levels of both parents at the time of conception[14]. This hypothesis is yet to be tested and proven true or false over large population sets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_ratio

List of countries by sex ratio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cou..._sex_ratio