Reproductive Health

Now that you know more about the Toxic Trio, let's learn more about how each of these specific chemicals affect your reproductive health!

By Grace Choe

The Culprits and Their Crimes

The toxic trio is capable of considerable reproductive harm:

CULPRIT 1

Formaldehyde

Exposure leads to (1):

menstrual disorders/irregularities
reduced fertility
miscarriage rates higher in both men and women exposed compared to those not

Forms of Exposure (2):

inhalation of gas or vapor forms in the air
absorption of liquid forms through skin

CULPRIT 2

Toluene

Animal studies show that exposure can (3):

inhibit fetal growth
increase mother and fetus death probabilities

Forms of exposure (2):

inhalation of gas or vapor forms in the air
absorption of liquid forms through skin

CULPRIT 3

Phthalates

Even in low doses, exposure can lead to large effects on your health:

harms cells essential to male reproductive development (e.g. sperm maturation)
can induce cancer in male reproductive organs (4)

Forms of Exposure (3):

mother's inhalation affects unborn child
- transplacental transmission leads to harm on development of baby's reproductive system

Complications with women's reproductive health is often connected to issues with hormone balance. The balance of a female's hormones may be disrupted at any point in their lives, starting from conception all the way to adulthood (5).

To get a more in depth understanding about the toxic trio and their effects on reproductive health

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