Pregnant rats exposed to environmental toxins gave birth to four generations of males with decreased sperm function, a new study reports.It’s not clear what these findings mean for humans, but the researchers aren’t discounting the potential significance."It’s not a large leap to show that similar things could be happening in humans, but we need to show it,” said Michael K. Skinner, senior author of the study and a professor of molecular biosciences and director of the Center for Reproductive Biology at Washington State University, in Pullman, Wash.Perhaps more important, the findings also show that one exposure to an environmental toxin can generate permanent effects evident in several subsequent generations of rats -- and possibly other species, including humans, Skinner said."If a pregnant woman is exposed to that environmental toxin during mid-gestation, it could actually cause a disease state in adult offspring which is heritable,” he explained. “It looks like male sperm is being affected and permanently reprogrammed."The study appears in the June 3 issue of the journal Science.
