Rosh Hashanah 5769/2008 - Jewish Infertility

FertileEnvironmentBy: Shari SimsA half-century ago, few people realized the major impact thenew field of “plastics” would have on our society. This incrediblearray of chemical creations would revolutionize and simplifymuch of modern life. Forty-plus years later, it turns out, scientistsare learning that all those undeniable benefits have not comewithout risks — to the environment, the planet, and, in whatmay be the most shockingly personal risk of all, to our and ourchildren’s ability to start healthy families of our own.Shaarei Tikvah Issue 57/ Rosh Hashana 2008Scientists have discovered that the thousands of chemicalsthat have enabled many of life’s conveniences may have beenrobbing us, slowly but surely, of our most precious necessity forfuture survival: our fertility. The concerns are undeniable for thosewhose jobs involve exposure to industrial-strength chemicals.But now there’s increasing evidence that long-term, low-levelexposure to a mixture of seemingly benign substances that arepart of the everyday environment may produce fertility hazards aswell, ranging from impaired egg production to repeat miscarriage,sperm abnormalities, and decreased sperm counts.The most startling finding of all is that some of these effects,on women and men, may literally begin within the womb, helpingto explain why a growing group of public health experts believes70rosh hashana_magazine2.indd 7021/09/2008 7:08:58 PM