#372 - PCBs Diminish Penis Size

The finding of small penises among PCB-exposed human males tends to confirm that humans and wildlife are affected similarly by exposure to "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" such as PCBs, dioxin, DDT, and dozens of others. (See RHWN #249, #263, #264, #323, #327, #334, #337, #364, #365.) The endocrine system, in wildlife and humans, is a complex set of bodily organs and tissues whose activities are coordinated by chemical messengers, called hormones, that control growth, development and behavior. In recent years, evidence has accumulated that several dozen pesticides and other industrial chemicals mimic, or interfere with, hormones and thus disrupt the endrocine system. In both wildlife and humans, it is the reproductive system that seems most prone to disruption by hormone-like industrial pollutants.