Early puberty, lower fertility … the fault of endocrine disruptors

In its Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, Santé publique France reviews the evolution of the quality of the "global public health indicator" that is sperm. It also examines cases of testicular cancer and early puberty. If the causes of these health problems are difficult to disentangle, endocrine disruptors or air pollution would largely have their share of responsibility.

The quality of sperm on a bad slope

Between 1989 and 2005, the sperm concentration in semen dropped by almost a third (-32.2%), or nearly 2% per year, according to measurements made on nearly 27,000 men. " It is possible that this decline began in the 1970s if we take into account a previous study conducted in the Paris region from 1973 to 1992 ", have also stressed the researchers.

Ce phenomenon is not unique to France. The authors quote a study from 2017 that estimates this decline at "1.4% per year" on average "in Western countries (North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand)."

"Various Causal hypotheses can be evoked, in particular the exposures to the EP "(endocrine disruptors), advance the authors.

" Other causes are possible or can be entangled with the previous ones, like the smoking among the pregnant women (…), nutritional or metabolic factors, air pollution or lifestyle changes (sedentary lifestyle, stress, heat, sleep) ", they add.

In parallel, the cases of Testicular cancers, which occur most often in patients aged 20 to 40, are progressing. From 1998 to 2014, the incidence of the disease increased by 1.5% per year. This rise "in populations of North European origin for several decades is a known fact and still unexplained", emphasize the researchers.

Cases of early puberty

Cases of precocious puberty only begin to be counted, by the number of children treated. Showing "signs of puberty before the age of eight in girls and nine years in boys", this puberty can have multiple negative consequences for physical and mental health.

It affects 10 times more often girls than boys. And the differences are marked between the regions, with two places particularly concerned: the former Midi-Pyrenees and the Rhone, with incidences several times higher than the national average.

"Early puberty can to be linked to specific genetic factors, and ethnic / population factors could also play a role " estimates Public Health France.

But" the role of environmental exposure to potentially disruptive substances endocrine and which may be of anthropic origin (linked to the intervention of humans, ed) is to be taken into consideration, without excluding environmental factors not yet identified ", according to the researchers.