“Spermageddon” allegations by Dr Swan unfounded

Brussels, 7 July 2021 - European Plasticisers notes that the scientific grounds of the statements made in Dr Swan’s book “Count Down” have already been questioned and refuted by many independent researchers [1] who have established that the book’s conclusions are not supported by robust scientific evidence.

In line with our commitment to evidence-based policy making [2], European Plasticisers remains open for a constructive science-led discussion on this subject.

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[1] Here some examples:
Sharpe, for ChemTrust: Male Reproductive Health Disorders and the Potential Role of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
Fisch, 2008: Declining worldwide sperm counts: disproving a myth
Mitchell, 2012: Do phthalates affect steroidogenesis by the human fetal testis? Exposure of human fetal testis xenografts to di-n-butyl phthalate
Heger, 2012: Human Fetal Testis Xenografts Are Resistant to Phthalate-Induced Endocrine Disruption
Boulicault, 2020: The future of sperm: a biovariability framework for understanding global sperm count trends

Here some examples of media articles:
Science 2.0  "The Male Reproduction Apocalypse That Never Was" by Kimberlrey Wise White (30/09/2006)
Forbes "The Trouble Lies Not In Our Sperm, Poor Nick" by Geoffrey Kabat (12/03/2017)
Genetic Literacy Project "Viewpoint: New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof echoes scientifically dubious fears about falling sperm counts and ‘endocrine disrupting’ chemicals" by Geoffrey Kabat (01/03/2021)
UnHerd "Don’t worry about your sperm count" by Tom Chivers (03/03/2021)
Science 2.0 "Just A Dud? Swan Book ‘Count Down’ Alleging Apocalyptic Threat Of Extinction Due To Chemicals Greatly Disappoints" by Gregory Bond (17/03/2021)

[2] On this matter, we also produced a video series where we interview independent scientists on the relationship between science and policy making: Science, policy and public opinion: how the wheel turns