Shanna H. Swan: Microplastics harm hormone levels and fertility, lifestyle changes can improve sperm quality, and PFAS chemicals are prevalent in everyday products | JRE

Microplastics in everyday items pose a growing threat to fertility and hormone health worldwide.

Listen on The Joe Rogan Experience

Share

Add us on Google by Editorial Team Apr. 10, 2026

Key takeaways

• Microplastics significantly affect human health, particularly hormone levels.
• Microplastics and plasticizers are distinct, with microplastics being harder to measure in the body.
• Microplastics cause harm both chemically and physically by entering cells.
• Everyday items like paper coffee cups can introduce harmful chemicals into the body.
• Lifestyle changes can impact fertility, as evidenced by sperm quality measurements.
• Plastic exposure negatively affects sperm quality and fertility.
• Endocrine disruptors, including plasticizers, impact fertility and testosterone levels in both genders.
• Women require testosterone for sexual satisfaction, and phthalates can lower satisfaction levels.
• Infertility issues are increasingly linked to environmental toxins, especially plastics.
• PFAS chemicals are prevalent in consumer products, including clothing.
• Microplastics carry plasticizers, causing double damage to health.
• Lifestyle interventions can reveal the impact of environmental factors on fertility.
• Modern reliance on plastics contributes to environmental poisoning.
• Exposure to PFAS is common through everyday clothing and products.
• Environmental factors play a significant role in declining fertility rates.

Guest intro

Shanna H. Swan, PhD, is the director of The Action Science Initiative, a program within the Million Marker Institute. She is Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and author of the book Count Down. Her research has illuminated the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on declining sperm counts and human reproductive health.

The impact of microplastics on health

• Microplastics have a significant impact on hormone levels and overall health.

• He was experiencing fatigue like always tired got his hormones tested extremely low testosterone but then got his microplastics tested and they were off the charts.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Microplastics are a newer concern compared to plasticizers and are harder to measure in the body.

• Microplastics and plastics and plasticizers are not identical… measuring them in our bodies is much harder than measuring the plasticizers.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Microplastics carry chemical harms and physically enter cells, causing double damage.

• The microplastics what they are is the actual pieces of plastic that carry the plasticizers along with them so they kind of piggyback on so they do double damage because they carry the chemical harms and they also physically enter the cells.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Everyday items, such as paper coffee cups, can introduce harmful chemicals into the body.

• A lot of people get these harmful chemicals from drinking coffee hot liquids out of paper cups.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Understanding the relationship between microplastics and hormonal health is crucial.

The role of lifestyle changes in fertility

• Analyzing lifestyle changes can provide insights into fertility through sperm quality measurements.

• In the intervention we found… there’s a company called Fellow which is grown out of UCSF and they’re very big now… at the time they’re have their semen tested they’re asked could we recontact you for research.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Plastic exposure can negatively impact sperm quality and fertility.

• We saw who got pregnant and… we have this record of everything they changed.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Lifestyle interventions can reveal the impact of environmental factors on fertility.
• Environmental chemicals have a measurable impact on reproductive health.
• Understanding the significance of sperm quality in relation to fertility is essential.
• The intervention highlights the role of lifestyle in fertility outcomes.

The dangers of endocrine disruptors

• Endocrine disruptors, particularly plasticizers, significantly impact fertility and testosterone levels.

• A big part of it is probably these plasticizers… all these various chemicals that are endocrine disruptors that are ubiquitous in the modern world.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Women require testosterone for sexual arousal and satisfaction, and phthalates correlate with lower satisfaction.

• The women who had higher levels of phthalates were had less satisfaction and lower frequency.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Environmental chemicals have a broad impact on reproductive health.
• Understanding the role of testosterone in women’s health is crucial.
• Endocrine disruptors are a pervasive issue in modern society.
• The impact of these chemicals on fertility is a critical public health concern.

Environmental factors and infertility

• Infertility issues are increasingly linked to environmental factors, particularly plastics.

• The big part seems to be that we’re being poisoned and we’re doing it by virtue of our modern world that we live in where so much of your life relies on plastic.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Modern reliance on plastics contributes to environmental poisoning.
• Environmental toxins play a significant role in declining fertility rates.
• Understanding the broader context of infertility trends is essential.
• Environmental health is a critical issue in public health discussions.
• The impact of plastics on reproductive health is a growing concern.
• Addressing environmental factors is key to improving fertility outcomes.

Prevalence of PFAS chemicals

• PFAS chemicals are prevalent in various consumer products, including clothing.

• Those are what’s called the PFAS chemicals… it’s very very prevalent I mean it it’s all your… it’s in clothing… it’s in a lot of yoga tights and things along those lines yes workout clothes.

  — Shanna H. Swan

• Exposure to PFAS is common through everyday clothing and products.
• Understanding the widespread presence of PFAS chemicals is crucial.
• PFAS chemicals pose a significant health concern.
• Addressing PFAS exposure is important for public health.
• The prevalence of PFAS in consumer products is a critical issue.
• Awareness of PFAS exposure can lead to better health outcomes.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.