Is pollution shrinking our penises? Otter study points to humans

Study finds male otters sex organ weighs less due to smaller penis bone

Modern chemicals in food chain could be interfering with hormones

Same phenomenon could also affect human men



New threat: Otters are at risk again because river pollutants are harming their reproduction

Scientists have uncovered a worrying trend in 'shrinking' male sex organs in otters - and warn it could start be affecting human men too.

Research into the water mammal suggests that modern chemicals may be to blame for the alarming phenomenon of shrivelling organs.

A report by the Cardiff University Otter Project indicated the animal - one of Britain's

best-loved predator species - is not in the rudest health.

Analysis found a decrease in the size of penis bones in male otters along with other

changes that gave 'cause for concern' about the size of sex organs.

It questions if endocrine disrupting chemicals - also known as hormone disrupters -

could be to blame.

And experts are warning the study could be behind similar problems in humans with increasing number of boys born with undescended testicles, sex organ malformation and reduced sperm counts.

Gwynne Lyons, director of the (CHEM) Trust, said the study showed it was time to end the complacency surrounding male reproductive health in humans as well as other species.

She said: 'If we are to protect our wildlife, we need good information on the reproductive health of key species.

'These findings highlight that it is time to end the complacency about the effects of pollutants on male reproductive health.

'This is particularly as some of the effects reported in otters may be caused by the same EDCs that are suspected to contribute to the declining trends in men's reproductive health and cause testicular cancer, undescended testes and low sperm count.

'In reality humans and wildlife are exposed to a cocktail of many chemicals every day and some may be adding up to cause problems,' she said.

High levels of pollutants were probably to blame for a crash in otter populations in

Britain in 1970s.

The Environment Agency funded post-mortem examination of otters since the 1990s revealing a gradual decline in pollutants over time - and otter populations have increased.

But the new study co-authored by the Chemicals, Health and Environment Monitoring (CHEM) Trust suggests there are links between hormone disrupting chemicals and problems with male reproductive health.

Experts studying the reproductive health of the mammals in England and Wales were concerned to find a decrease in the weight of otters' penis bones.

Other health problems in males included an increase in undescended testicles and cysts on sperm-carrying tubes.

The study, funded by the Environment Agency, was co-authored by the Chemicals, Health and Environment (CHEM) Trust and the Cardiff University Otter Project, and featured on BBC One series Countryfile last night.

'We were surprised to see the reduction in the baculum weight,' said co-author Dr Elizabeth Chadwick, project manager at the Cardiff University Otter Project, referring to the bone found in males' penises.

'It's certainly something that needs further investigation.'

Leading otter researcher Dr Eleanor Kean, of Cardiff University's School of Biosciences, said: 'The otter is an excellent indicator of the health of the UK environment, particularly aquatic systems.

'Persistent organic pollutants were banned in the 1970s, but other chemicals, in current usage, are not yet being monitored in wildlife.'

At risk: Endocrine disrupting chemicals are causing cysts on the tubes that carry sperm, undescended testicles and a reduction in penis weight







