There is a class of chemicals that can disrupt the human
hormonal system, and particularly effect the fetal development
of males. These chemicals are in many everyday consumer
products, and also used widely in agriculture and industry. In
some heavily polluted US waterways, frogs & salamanders have
sprouted extra legs, alligators have stunted genitals, and male
Smallmouth bass have been discovered producing eggs. In a June
27th, 2009 article about endocrine disruptors in the New York
Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof writes that "scientists are
connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities
among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital
deformities among newborn boys. For example, up to 7 percent of
boys are now born with undescended testicles, although this
often self-corrects over time. And up to 1 percent of boys in
the United States are now born with hypospadias, in which the
urethra exits the penis improperly, such as at the base rather
than the tip." According to an Envi