According to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, men could end up with a greatly reduced size of penises if exposed to high levels of chemicals found in fast food packaging and non-stick frying pans while in the womb.
As the scientists at the University of Padua in Italy who studied PFCs, the chemicals in question, explained, these substances can inhibit the growth of penises and result in thinner and shorter genitals.
Besides having a negative effect on males still in the womb, the PFCs also have a negative impact on teenagers and may reduce their testosterone levels.
According to the results of the study, which included measuring penises of 383 men from Padua, one of the world’s places with the highest PFC contamination, the researchers concluded that individuals who grew up in polluted areas have penises 6.3% thinner and 12.5% shorter than average.
As the Italian researchers revealed, the chemicals bind themselves to testosterone receptors and lower the amount of the male sex hormone used within the body.
Besides resulting in shorter and thinner penises, men exposed to PFCs also have less mobile and less healthy sperms than healthy individuals.
“As the first report on water contamination of PFCs goes back to 1977, the magnitude of the problem is alarming,” Dr. Andrea Di Nisio, the lead of the research, said, pointing out that PFCs can also pollute waters. “It affects an entire generation of young individuals, from 1978 onwards.”
These toxic chemicals can also be found in fast food packaging and non-stick frying pans from where they may enter our system. They are also commonly present in glues, electronics, cleaning products, paints, insecticides, waterproof clothing, and even some medicines.
Breathing air polluted with PFCs has similar effects on men’s sexual health and the size of their genitals as ingesting the chemicals through polluted water or food.
“This study documents that PFCs have a substantial impact on human male health as they directly interfere with hormonal pathways potentially leading to male infertility,” the Italian researchers wrote.
“At least here in Italy, it is very difficult to know if a product contains these chemicals.
“In the case of a product where it is explicitly stated ‘PFOA-free’, I do not feel safe anyway, because PFOA is only one of the hundreds of possible PFC compounds, and they can all be dangerous.
“Therefore it is very hard to avoid any contact with any PFC.”
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