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Plastics Chemical BPA Can Make Male Turtles Act Like Females

There is new evidence about the harm caused by BPA. CBS investigated the disturbing findings of a University of Missouri research team. "Bisphenol A (BPA)​, which finds its way in many rivers and streams, could alter sexual function in turtles, with males even developing female sex organs". This is troubling on a number of levels. These changes could influence turtle behavior and have a negative impact on turtle populations.

Chemical safety is an oxymoron. The danger to reproductive health is not limited to turtles. Gender bending endocrine disrupters linger in the environment. For men, the result of exposure to such harmful toxins can include genital malformations such as micropenis, undescended testicles, and hypospadias (when the urethra forms on the underside of the penis). A study found that as blood levels of BPA in the women studied doubled, the percentage of eggs fertilized normally declined by 50 percent.