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The Disappearing Male
Nora Chute
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The Disappearing Male is a disturbing look at how the chemical revolution has come back to haunt us. This 45 minute documentary, available for free on Google video, forces us to reflect on how the products that we eagerly consume might actually be causing the most rapid period of evolution in human history, and some even argue, the eventual extinction of our species.
The film chronicles how these convenient but hazardous synthetic materials arose faster than the studies monitoring their safety could keep up with. From the 1950’s on these chemicals have surrounded us, and we’ve taken for granted the squeaky clean image used to market them. Products like Tupperware and IV tubes, and the smell of hygiene products and cleaning solutions have guided our concept of cleanliness. We are now faced, however, with the reality that all of these man-made, chemical filled products are in fact incredibly polluted, and have irreparably polluted many of our bodies.
As the title of the film alludes, males are most vulnerable to the negative effects of these compounds. These chemicals are referred to as “hormone mimicking” or “endocrine disrupting” because they bind to the same receptors as male sex hormones, interfering with the human body’s own signaling system and preventing proper sexual development. Sperm counts worldwide have been cut in half over the past 50 years, testicular cancer has doubled in the past 20, and more and more cases of genital deformities have been documented. And it could be the ubiquitous chemicals in our world that are to blame, namely phthalates, bisphenol A, and PVC which appear in everything from baby bottles to hair conditioner.
Many biased parties continue to deny the overwhelming research supporting this causal relationship. I suspect, however, that this film will convince many of the skeptics. The evidence and testimonials are striking, as the number of males in all species, not just humans, has decreased. In one shocking example, a Canadian town doused in fumes from a nearby chemical refinery exhibits exactly what scientists fear could happen worldwide: 75% of newborns are girls, and mothers experience a shocking rate of miscarriage.
Yes this is troubling, but could it really mean the end of our species? Unless we rapidly evolve, argues this film, it certainly could. This skewed birth ratio is cited as the first sign of extinction. Already male births have declined in 20 industrialized nations—there are 3 million fewer baby boys than there might have been. It’s clear that much of the damage has already been done, but the film also highlights that we’ve only just begun to address the issue.
The documentary also serves as a political commentary, criticizing our government’s chemical regulatory policies, or lack there of. Manufactures are mostly to blame, supplying the FDA exclusively with unbalanced research. 90% of studies funded by the government found that these chemicals have adverse effects on the human body; not surprisingly, none of those funded by the chemical industry did.
The Disappearing Male is an unapologetic critique of the chemicals we’ve used to build our environment and the broken regulatory system that’s allowed them to wreak havoc on our species. “It’s like in a certain way we’re on the Titanic,” says Dr. Jim Brophy, “we see the iceberg but we just can’t turn the ship.”
