In the tradition of Silent Spring and The Sixth Extinction, an urgent, meticulously researched, and groundbreaking book about the ways in which chemicals in the modern environment are changing—and endangering—human sexuality and fertility on the grandest scale, from renowned epidemiologist Shanna Swan.
In 2017, author Shanna Swan and her team of researchers completed a major study. They found that over the past four decades, sperm levels among men in Western countries have dropped by more than 50 percent. They came to this conclusion after examining 185 studies involving close to 45,000 healthy men. The result sent shockwaves around the globe—but the story didn’t end there. It turns out our sexual development is changing in broader ways, for both men and women and even other species, and that the modern world is on pace to become an infertile one.
How and why could this happen? What is hijacking our fertility and our health? Count Down unpacks these questions, revealing what Swan and other researchers have learned about how both lifestyle and chemical exposures are affecting our fertility, sexual development—potentially including the increase in gender fluidity—and general health as a species. Engagingly explaining the science and repercussions of these worldwide threats and providing simple and practical guidelines for effectively avoiding chemical goods (from water bottles to shaving cream) both as individuals and societies, Count Down is at once an urgent wake-up call, an illuminating read, and a vital tool for the protection of our future.
Selected reviews:
“Swan solves one of the great mysteries of the moment: why sperm counts and fertility rates are dropping. She zeroes in on chemicals as a chief culprit, but, even more admirably, maps out the entire threat landscape. This book shines an important light on what we need to do to bring back healthy reproduction.”
—David Michaels, former Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA and author of The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception
“Swann’s book is staggering in its findings….The rapid death and decline of sperm must be addressed, and it must be addressed now. There simply is no time to lose.”
—Erin Brockovich, The Guardian
“Grounded in irrefutable science and laced with dry, engaging wit, this epic book asks monumental questions: Has humanity entered into a fertility death spiral? If so, why is it happening, how far will it go, and when will it peak? Finally, what can and must be done? If you dream of children, grandchildren and generations beyond, you must read this book.”
—Pete Myers, PhD, coauthor of Our Stolen Future
“An essential book for this moment….There are a lot of surprises here, including that testosterone therapy decreases sperm counts, and that moms’ exposure to common chemicals during pregnancy alters masculinization of the offspring as well as long-term fertility…. I sincerely hope that everyone reads Count Down—the younger the better—so that they’ll have the chance to preserve their fertility as well as that of their children.”
—Ruthann Rudel, Research Director at Silent Spring Institute and Research Associate at Brown University
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