HoldsUp

Shanna Swan

Dr. Shanna Swan is a researcher specializing in environmental health and epidemiology. Her published work focuses on the effects of environmental chemical exposures, such as phthalates and plastics, on fertility, pregnancy, and fetal development. Additionally, her research examines associations between prenatal maternal factors and exposures with childhood health outcomes, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and asthma.

28 claims checked on air: 3 context 1 overstated 23 supported 1 unverified

What they said on air - citing their own research

4 citing their own research

0:17:20needs contextlowtheir own paperMicroplastics Are Inside Your Body Right Now — Here's What T

Women with higher urinary levels of phthalates reported lower sexual satisfaction and lower sexual frequency.

"in one of our studies, we asked women about their sexual satisfaction and frequency, and women who had higher levels of phthalates had lower satisfaction and lower frequency." (said at 0:17:20)

The speaker is referring to research from their group (Barrett, Swan et al., 2014, in the Study for Future Families cohort, n = 360). The study evaluated self-reported sexual dysfunction in premenopausal women and found that women in the highest quartile of urinary di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites had significantly higher odds of reporting frequent lack of sexual interest/desire (adjusted OR ~2.6), though other dimensions like vaginal dryness showed no significant association. While the finding specifically demonstrated reduced sexual desire/interest rather than explicitly measuring sexual satisfaction and frequency as separate validated endpoints, the core observation of endocrine-disrupting phthalates correlating with impaired female sexual function is consistent with their cohort's published findings.

0:39:14overstatedvery lowtheir own paperMicroplastics Are Inside Your Body Right Now — Here's What T

A 3-month intervention reducing plastic chemical exposures lowered urinary metabolite levels to non-detectable levels and improved semen parameters in infertile couples.

"To non-detect from quite high levels, and that's shown in the film. And we also published a paper uh containing a scientific paper in a peer-reviewed journal with these data. And um so their levels went down... Yes. Their semen parameters changed." (said at 0:39:14)

The peer-reviewed study associated with the film "The Plastic Detox" was published as an uncontrolled pilot study in five subfertile couples (PMID 41893525). While the authors reported directional reductions in urinary plastic biomarkers (such as bisphenol A, MBP, and MBzP) and descriptive upward trends in semen parameters over the 3-month intervention, claiming that levels fell to non-detectable levels overstates the reported findings (which were directional reductions). Furthermore, because the study was a tiny uncontrolled pilot feasibility study, the observed changes cannot prove efficacy.

0:39:40needs contextvery lowtheir own paperMicroplastics Are Inside Your Body Right Now — Here's What T

In a 3-month plastic detox intervention pilot study of infertile couples, three out of five couples achieved pregnancy.

"And then we have um several pregnancies as well. Um and um three three of the five... These were absolutely couples that had tried for more than a year, some as much as 10 years to get pregnant." (said at 0:39:40)

The claim refers to 'The Plastic Detox' study, a 3-month uncontrolled feasibility pilot study of 5 idiopathically infertile couples undergoing a lifestyle intervention to reduce endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure. The published trial actually reported that four (rather than three) out of the five couples achieved pregnancy and live birth during follow-up. However, because this was a tiny feasibility study (N=5 couples) without a control group, the study authors emphasize that pregnancy outcomes are strictly descriptive and cannot prove that the intervention caused or contributed to the pregnancies.

0:49:33supportedmoderatetheir own paperMicroplastics Are Inside Your Body Right Now — Here's What T

Pregnant women who report using fragranced products have higher measured bodily levels of phthalates.

"We asked them what they used in the last 24 hours, and then we asked, was it fragranced? And when the women reported use of fragranced products, their levels of several chemicals were higher, particularly the phthalates in their bodies." (said at 0:49:33)

Observational cohort studies in pregnant and postpartum women consistently demonstrate that self-reported use of personal care products (such as perfumes and fragranced products) within the previous 24 to 48 hours is associated with higher urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites, most notably monoethyl phthalate (MEP).

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