Toxic chemicals are raising infertility in humans, fish, birds, and insects: ‘A whisper that is powerful enough to redirect a hurricane’

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that fertility rates, the average number of births women are projected to have over their lifetime, fell to a record low last year. It’s a demographic shift that could hold repercussions for the economy and the country’s politics. 

There are many reasons for this, including the fact that women’s career options and earning potential have improved. But not every factor behind declining birth rates has to do with everyday decisions. 

Deep and long-lasting environmental changes mean child-seeking people in the U.S.—as well as the rest of the world—might have odds stacked against them these days.

Why toxic chemicals affect reproduction

Successful reproduction relies on hormones, crucial biological regulators that orchestrate everything from puberty to sperm production, fertilization, and pregnancy. This is true for humans the same way it is for most animals, including other mammals, fish, and birds. 

But a mounting volume of man-made chemicals and pollutants have infiltrated the environment and the biology of virtually all animal life. Combined with the ef...