Pesticides Cause Lasting Damage to Rat's Sperm
(HealthDayNews, 6/2/05)

Dr. Michael K. Skinner of the Center for Reproductive Biology at Washington State University, in Pullman, WA, and associates, exposed pregnant rats to two known hormone disruptors: vinclozolin, a fungicide used in the wine industry and methoxychlor, a pesticide. The investigators timed the exposure to coincide with gender determination and the development of testes or ovaries. The researchers found that the male offspring of the rats exposed to either of the toxins exhibited decreases in sperm count and motility and these dysfunctions were likely to persist in the next four generations. These findings demonstrate that exposure to environmental toxins can effect a permanent reprogramming of DNA.

(Science, June 3, 2005)