A study by Di Nisio et al, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that the PFAS chemicals PFOA and PFOS impair male reproductive health.  The new study shows that young men exposed to the chemicals have a range of problems with their reproductive systems — and also lays out, for the first time, how these chemicals interfere with hormones inside the cell.

The researchers compared male high school students who had been exposed to high levels of PFOA and PFOS to young men who hadn’t been exposed and found that those in the exposed group had shorter penises, lower sperm counts, lower sperm mobility, and a reduction in “anogenital distance,” a measure that scientists see as a marker of reproductive health. The percentage of normally shaped sperm in the exposed group was just over half that in the control group.

For an article about the study, see here.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has compiled a list of common sources of PFAS chemicals.  Avoiding these products will greatly reduce your exposure to these extremely harmful chemicals.