Moms’ POPs, Sons’ Problems: Testicular cancer tied to a fetus’ pollutant contact
By Ben Harder
Women who’ve had substantial exposure to certain environmental pollutants are more likely than others to bear sons who develop testicular cancers. These findings of a new epidemiological study jibe with a current hypothesis that contact with hormonelike chemicals before birth raises a male’s risk of various genital problems.
In the United States, the testicular cancer rate climbed 67 percent between 1973 and 1999. A similar trend has affected parts of Europe, and past research suggested a link between this epidemic and rising exposures to artificial estrogens (SN: 2/26/94, p. 138), also known as endocrine disruptors.