HMM: Low male fertility caused by sunscreen, everyday plastics – scientist.

While throwing away a particular coat or upgrading to a different frying pan may not seem too drastic, Jorgensen did have a more controversial suggestion – abandoning the use of sunscreen.

“We are advised to protect ourselves with these sunblocks but it seems when you go to the laboratory and test some of these chemicals they can interfere with the sperm function,” Jorgensen said.

“If I was to advise my own family, I would say don’t use it,” he added.

But it’s not just grown men that are at risk from the allegedly dangerous substances – unborn boys are thought to be particularly in danger.

This has led Jorgensen to also advise against the use of sunscreen and make-up for pregnant women, as those substances could negatively impact the future sperm production of male fetuses.

See more of Jorgensen’s work on male fertility here.

Related: Possible fetal determinants of male infertility. “Interestingly, maternal smoking during pregnancy has a stronger effect on spermatogenesis than a man’s own smoking. Other lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption and obesity might also have a role. However, increasing indirect evidence exists that exposure to ubiquitous endocrine disrupting chemicals, present at measurable concentrations in individuals, might affect development of human fetal testis.”