--- title: "Microplastics Found in Every Human Testicle" description: "No ifs, ands, or nuts about it — microplastics are everywhere, including in every human testicle tested for a new study." date: "2024-05-20" modified: "2024-05-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/microplastics-found-every-testicle" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "microplastics" - "reproduction" - "sperm count" - "testicles" --- # Microplastics Found in Every Human Testicle ![No ifs, ands, or nuts about it — microplastics are everywhere, including in every human testicle tested for a new study.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* What do the pyramids, the oceans, the blood of newborns, and human and canine testicles all have in common? They've all been found to be host to [cancer-causing microplastics]() — which may also, scientists hypothesize, be why [sperm counts have been diminishing]() for decades. A new paper [published in the journal *Toxological Science*]() describes alarming results from a study that tested testicle samples from 23 humans and 47 pet dogs, finding microplastics in every single subject: 330 micrograms of microplastics per gram of tissue and 123 micrograms found in the dogs. "At the beginning, I doubted whether microplastics could penetrate the reproductive system," paper coauthor [Xiaozhong Yu told *The Guardian*](). "When I first received the results for dogs I was surprised. I was even more surprised when I received the results for humans." Besides the jarring prevalence, the team was also concerned about the heightened concentration of polyethylene and PVC found in the human samples, which came from postmortem subjects ranging in age from 16 to 88. Though this isn't the first study to [find microplastics in human testes and semen](), the comparative concentrations between the human and canine samples is novel — and not in a good way. Though the correlation isn't yet perfectly understood, some recent mice studies have found a [link between reduced sperm counts and microplastics exposure](), and the chemicals released by the pollutants may also be [associated with some hormonal abnormalities and disruptions]() as well. That's likely because PVC in particular is, well, [super freakin' toxic](). "PVC can release a lot of chemicals that interfere with spermatogenesis," Yu explained, "and it contains chemicals that cause endocrine disruption." More research is needed, but one thing's for sure: our degradation of the environment has come home to our own bodies, and we're only starting to understand how that will affect us all. **More on nuts:** [*Scientists Grow Teeny Tiny Testicles in Laboratory*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()