Stay updated with the latest in Tech, Science, Culture, Entertainment, and more by following our Telegram channel here.An environmental scientist has warned that human penises are shrinking, and genitals are generally becoming malformed at birth all due to pollution.In her new book titled Count Down, Dr. Shanna Swan a professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York warned that phthalates in the air are causing humans to suffer adverse effects such as abnormal genital sizes, erectile dysfunction, lower sperm counts, and dangerously-low fertility rates.A chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics, phthalates in the air impact the endocrine system that produces hormones meant to regulate nearly all processes in the body. As a result, more babies are being born with smaller penises, Swan wrote.Her book examines how sperm counts as well as male and female reproductive organs are being affected in the modern era, and how pollution is potentially "imperilling the future of the human race."Pollution causing low blows.In her research, Swan studied phthalate syndrome, which in rats, caused fetuses exposed to the chemical to be born with smaller genitals.In the case of humans, she discovered that male babies exposed to the chemical when in the womb had a shorter anogenital distance, meaning lesser penile volume.The reason why this happens is that phthalates mimic the hormone estrogen, which likely leads to the disruption of natural hormone production in the human body and causes adverse affects to the development of sexual organs.As to how these phthalates even reach unborn babies, Swan thinks that the chemical which is used to make plastic products more flexible is most likely transmitted via toys and food.Phthalates are chemicals widely-used in the manufacturing of plastic products. IMAGE: Harvard University"Babies are now entering the world already contaminated with chemicals because of the substances they absorb in the womb," she wrote in her book.Swan's findings are based on multiple peer-reviewed studies, one of which found that sperm levels among males in Western countries had sunk by more than 50 percent over the past four decades.More alarmingly, she also predicted that such rapidly decreasing fertility rates may see most men becoming infertile by the year 2045.Read more science stories:Oral COVID-19 vaccine that you can take at home may be coming soonPhotos show the devastation of torrential rain and flooding on Australia's east coastFilipino 'virus hunters' are catching bats to prevent the next pandemicCover image sourced from NDRC and The Irish Sun.