Altering Eden: The Feminization of Nature

Chemical concerns launched big loads of synthetic molecules in the environment - pesticides, PCB, etc. - that have two proven actions on animals : (a) they are carcinogenic and (b) they act as chemical messengers in our bodies, similar to oestrogen. The latter part is examined in this important book. Deborah Cadbury calls our attention to the fact that naturally produced oestrogen has a natural cycle of only some hours, whereas artificial oestrogen builds up in the fat deposits of animals. This leads to what she calls the "feminization of nature", illustrated by a lot of evidence of deformed sex organs (mostly smaller penises) in fishes and mammals. Hermaphrodites are also on the rise. This has the same consequences in mankind. Nowadays, a living father produces more sperm and of better quality than his own son. Dr. Stewart Irvine of the Medical Research Centre in Edinburgh observes a sharp decrease in sperm count over the last 50 years. A man born in the '50s a produces about 100 million sperm per ml. A man born in the 70's produces about 75 million sperm per ml. A man born in the 90's produces about 50 million sperm per ml. If this trend continues, problems with fertility will soon occur, since the minimum limit used in a fertility centre is about 20 million sperm per ml. The feminization of nature not only affects the sex organs of the animals around us. Our own grandfathers had a penis that was 2 cm longer ! And girls have their first menstruation at an average age of 12, whereas this average age for our grandmothers was 17. If you want to do something about it, read David Steinman "Diet for a poisoned world", to prevent the intake of all those pesticides in your food. He also proposes a therapy to detoxify your body.

Deborah Cadbury has managed to convey an incredible amount of information in a useful, logical way. Pesticides, toxins, estrogens, and many chemicals used in every day products like food containers are tied to reproductive disorders like endometriosis, uterine cancer, testicular cancer, breast cancer, and infertility. I could not stop reading this book. Many of the points made are so obvious that I have often wondered who is hiding the information form society linking the source of toxins to the health effects. Why is it that government and industry value money over human life? I assume that most people are too ignorant or complacent to act to protect their health by not driving cars (or limiting use), eating organic foods, demanding more wildlife areas, conserving energy and using renewable sources instead of building more power plants, and being informed as to health risks and causes. The only thing I would have liked to see in this book is detailed resource information. Specifically, what companies use these chemicals, where they are known to be in the environment and at what levels, cancer rates by area, etc. - where do we go to get this information.

This is a very important book. It is based on an `Emmy' award winning BBC TV programme. Scientists around the world are finding alarming changes in human reproduction and health. There is strong evidence that sperm counts have fallen dramatically. Testicular, prostate, and breast cancer are on the rise. Different animal species are even showing signs of 'feminization' or 'changing sex,' the males actually producing eggs like females. According to scientific evidence compiled worldwide, the prime suspect in these worrying findings is the increased exposure to chemicals that can mimic the female hormone estrogen and other hormones. Indeed, man-made chemicals like DDT, PCB and other hormone disrupters have become soaked into our environment from their use in countless modern products, from plastics to pesticides. Only now is the full impact of their extensive use coming to light. Believed responsible for genital abnormalities and cancers across a wide range of species, these hormone disrupting chemicals may pose a threat not only to our human potential, but to our very survival. Through extensive interviews with fertility experts and scientists world wide as well as members of the chemical industry, Deborah Cadbury provides a balanced, cogent, compelling argument that propels us toward a disturbing conclusion. In the spirit of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking work, Silent Spring, Cadbury's well researched, even handed analysis of these findings is a startling wake-up call to the far reaching consequences of widespread environmental pollution.