An article published August 21, 2014 by the British newspaper The Independent reports that a new Swedish study found the incidence of hypospadias to have increased from 4.5 to 8 per 1000 boys between 1973 and 2009. Hypospadias is a reproductive disorder where the opening of the urethra is not at the tip of the penis but further down, the foreskin is gathered at the back of the penis or the penis remains bent when stiff. Hypospadias is one symptom of the testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) which has been linked to antiandrogenic chemicals, including certain phthalates. The scientists from the Karolinska institute in Stockholm did not find an association between the observed rise in hypospadias and previously known factors such as low birth weight. According to the article by the Independent, Anna Skarin Nordenvall from the Karolinska institute does not reject the idea that the increase in hypospadias may be linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
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Kashmira Gander (August 21, 2014). “Swedish doctors cannot explain rise in hypospadias penis birth defect.” Independent.
