Penises are getting smaller and genitals are becoming malformed because of soaring pollution levels, a top scientist has claimed.
According to the new research lower sperm counts and erectile dysfunction can be linked to the use of industrial chemicals in everyday products.
And it is also having an impact on libido with 'decreased desire' from people who have higher levels of the pollutants.
Leading environmental and and reproductive epidemiologist Dr Shanna Swan claims that babies are now being born with smaller penises.
She says that the change in the size of the reproductive organ and lower sperm counts is linked to a rise in 'phthalates.'
These are chemicals which are commonly found in plastic manufacturing parts. They can affect how the hormone endocrine is produced.
Dr. Swan studied 'phthalate syndrome', which is found in rats whose foetuses were exposed to the chemical. She discovered they were likely to be born with shrunken genitals.
In her new book - Count Down - she claims that the chemical can be passed on through breast milk and can affect babies as they develop in the womb.
This could then lead to a number of serious issues, including lower intelligence, premature birth, lower testosterone levels, and smaller penises.
Speaking to The Intercept, Dr Swan also claimed that exposure to phthalates had an affect on libido.
She said: "We found a relationship between women's phthalate levels and their sexual satisfaction.
"And researchers in China found that workers with higher levels of bisphenol A [a chemical used to make plastics], commonly known as BPA, in their blood were more likely to have sexual problems, including decreased desire."
The research began in 2017 when Dr Swann and a team of scientists found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in western countries had dropped by more than 50 percent.
That research analysed 185 studies involving nearly 45,000 healthy men.
In the new book she explores how lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting fertility and sexual development.
She also examines how this could affect 'gender fluidity and general health as a species.'
