Phthalates are just one of many, many chemicals assaulting our endocrine systems in this modern world.

Phthalates are found in drinking water (both tap and bottled), shampoo, soap, hair spray, skin moisturizer, PVC pipes, vinyl flooring, wood finish, detergent, dairy products, nearly all meats including poultry, cooking oil, etc… the list is endless. This means no one, except maybe someone who lives in the rainforest away from civilization, can avoid them.

Air pollution has been proven to alter testosterone, LH, FSH, and prolactin levels in men.

Polycarbonate plastics (BPA) block hormone production.

Radiation (non ionizing) including from radar, laptops, cellphones, microwaves, Wi-Fi, and television and radio transmission has been proven to cause testicular damage.

Pesticides get absorbed into our food and have been proven to cause endocrine disruption.

We give hormones to our livestock, and some of that it ingested, lowering our natural production.

To be honest, I try to avoid phthalates, but every time I take a shower I know they are shooting out of the wall and covering my body and being released onto my feet from the vinyl shower floor, and applied to my scalp in my shampoo, and then rubbed onto my skin with my towel which was washed in detergent. They are being absorbed through my skin this whole time. Then I go for a bike ride and breath in polluted air which also lowers my testosterone. Then I have a steak salad and know pesticides reside in the lettuce and hormones are in the beef.

There is a reason every single man on the planet has 33% less testosterone than their fathers did at the same age, and it is all these daily exposures. If things continue along this path, industrialization and modernization will mean all men are hypogonadal and all women end up infertile in the next 50 years. There are plenty of studies that extrapolate this conclusion from the data.