Are we men in danger?

Disputed claims and reports that human sperm count is down 50% over the past 50-odd years.

There have been several reports in the media over the past several years that claim that male virility is in danger. And typical with some research claims that we are not comfortable hearing, there are counter-arguments, that claim that these reports are not true.

If there is something that is indeed worrisome, it is the fact that the claim, if true, implies that we are just about half the men that people in our fathers generations were...(hey, the world needs population control, and what better way to get to it than by naturally reducing the cause of child birth, right :P)

Typical of all the ancillary noise that this kind of claim generates, there is some other claims that are related to female contraceptives.

How far fetched is this? Well, it has been observed in many specimens of fish in Europe and North America. And it is suspected that the hormone oestrogen, which supposedly enters the sewage system through the urine of women taking contraceptives (yeah, the drug companies put up huge doses of the hormones in the pills, and almost half of them are dumped by the human body...), finally ending up in the water ways, is the primary culprit behind the gender-bender tendencies observed in trout in the UK in rivers downstream from sewage treatment plants. Similar tendencies have also been seen in Carp in the US.

Guess what, the rivers provide drinking water for considerably large population groups. So, are we men at risk too? Are the excessive female hormones in the water system affecting our hormonal balanace?

If you believe some of the nuts, it is the male that is in danger of extinction...

As for me...

What..me? Worry? Phtt.....can someone pass me a glass of water please?