Massive Study Hints That Pollution Could Influence the Gender of Babies

Massive Study Hints That Pollution Could Influence the Gender of Babies
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You may have heard by now that pollution is one of our society’s biggest issues. Pollutants damage the quality of our environment, whether we’re talking about water, air, or land. The saddest aspect is that humans contribute a lot to pollution.

According to new research that The Hill reveals, certain pollutants can play a role in determining the gender of future babies that are born in some areas. The study was made upon some inhabitants of the US and Sweden.

What pollutants may determine the gender of babies

The study found that pollutants such as aluminum, mercury, and chromium are linked to the increase in the number of boys. As for more girls being born, pollution with lead is thought to play a role.

Credit: Pixabay.com, Daniela Dimitrova
Credit: Pixabay.com, Daniela Dimitrova

It’s possible that during pregnancy, hormonal factors can determine more embryos of one sex. Andrey Rzhetsky, the lead researcher of the study, said for The Guardian:

The question is why, and there are many suggested factors, such as stress or something in the environment,

It makes sense that it can go up and down because the physiology of male and female embryos is not identical. They have different hormonal backgrounds.

However, the study is far from revealing any causal links, as it only pinpoints correlations between some factors and the sex ratio from birth. That’s why the researchers claim that future studies should assess what effects the chemicals might have on cells from the human body. The authors also admit that the US sample may not be representative of the entire population.

As ined.fr reveals, the number of men and women in the world is about the same. However, when it comes to the year 2020, men hold a little lead: 102 men for 100 women.

The new study was published in PLOS.


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Even since he was a child, Cristian was staring curiously at the stars, wondering about the Universe and our place in it. Today he's seeing his dream come true by writing about the latest news in astronomy. Cristian is also glad to be covering health and other science topics, having significant experience in writing about such fields.

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