Human penises could be getting smaller because of pollution – and people have got a lot to say about it

Penises are getting smaller because of pollution, a leading scientist has warned.

Environmental and reproductive scientist Dr Shanna Swan, who has outlined the issue in her new book, claims that humankind is facing an “existential crisis” because genitals are becoming distorted, affecting fertility levels.

The book, Count Down, says the modern world – and, in particular, industrial chemicals used in everyday products – is “threatening sperm counts, altering male and female reproductive development, and imperilling the future of the human race.”

The problem is apparently down to phthalates, a chemical used in making plastics. According to Dr Swan, it is making its way into toys and foods and therefore into the human body.

The research – which studied phthalate syndrome, something found in rats – found that, when a foetus was vulnerable to the chemical, they were more likely to be born with smaller genitals.

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This is because this chemical copies the makeup of the actual human hormone oestrogen, interrupting the body’s creation of hormones.

Dr Swan is a professor of environmental medicine and public health at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she conducted her research based on peer-reviewed studies. She believes that her work means most men won't be able to produce fertile sperm by 2045.

A 2017 study showed that sperm count in the West was down 50 per cent in forty years.

In more bad news, Dr Swan also claimed that exposure to phthalates had an affect on libido. Speaking to The Intercept, she said: “We found a relationship between women’s phthalate levels and their sexual satisfaction.”

This news had the internet shaking:

Some joked that the news could speed up action on battling the world’s environmental crisis

Others had some interesting observations

And some took it as a chance to reflect on their own situation

And one just summed it all up.

Greta Thunberg has also weighed in.

Can this year’s news get any weirder?