Renowned podcaster Joe Rogan has raised alarms about a potential dystopian future reminiscent of “Children of Men” if Americans don’t confront the toxins present in their food supply.
During a recent episode, Rogan, 58, engaged in a conversation with Environmental Epidemiologist Shanna H. Swan to explore how food-related chemicals might be linked to the declining birth rates in the United States.
Both Rogan and Swan expressed concern over microplastics, which they believe could pose a significant threat to human fertility and, consequently, the survival of the species.
Rogan expressed anxiety that this issue, coupled with the trend of Americans opting to have children later in life, might lead the country toward a future similar to the one depicted in the 2006 sci-fi film “Children of Men,” where global infertility leads to societal collapse.
Swan pointed out that chemicals in plastics and food that disrupt the endocrine system are playing a significant role in decreasing fertility rates.
“We’re essentially poisoning ourselves,” Rogan remarked during the episode. “Our dependence on plastic in modern life is a major part of this problem.”
Rogan and Swan said the decline can be seen in the declining birth rate.
The average number of children per American household in 1960 is 3.62. In 2018, that dropped to 1.73, Population Education said.
Joe Rogan, 58, warned microplastic toxins are effecting the birth rate and fertility and the world could face a Children of Men-type future
Children of Men is a 2006 sci-fi movie in which people have stopped getting pregnant and leave the world on the brink of extinction
In South Korea, the birth rate is even lower. In 2014, it was 1.20 children per family, now it’s 0.75, as of 2024, according to CNN.
‘They’re down quite a bit,’ Rogan said, referring to America’s reproduction levels. ‘They’re not at the level that we need in order to keep our population.’
‘Fertility is in the toilet,’ Swan agreed.
Rogan brought up how IVF has become normal amongst families, especially those who are older when they start family planning.
‘They put their careers aside in their 30s, they decided now it’s time to have kids. They’re worried that it’s too late,’ the podcaster said.
Swan also brought up how animals are also reproducing at a lower rate. Referencing a study on alligators, it found the animals’ genitals have become smaller over the years due to chemical pollution. Their eggs are also less durable.
Scientist Lou Gillette’s groundbreaking work found that long-term exposure to environmental contaminants do have consequences and found many parallels to human health, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The lower birth rate, Swan said, has become a huge societal problem, as there aren’t enough younger people to care for the elderly, who are living longer than ever.
‘Fertility is in the toilet,’ Swan agreed with Rogan. She cited studies that showed animals’ genitals got smaller from long-term exposure to microplastics
The pair believe microplastics are threatening the survival of the human race. An NYU study recently found nearly two million preterm births were linked to a certain chemical found in plastics
The pair had spoken about a similar topic five years earlier, which shocked Rogan how very little the American public knew about the potential links.
A new NYU Langone Health study found that close to two million premature births in the world were due to being exposed to Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), a chemical found in cosmetics and detergents.
DEHP is used to make plastics more flexible. The chemical has also been linked to cancer, heart disease, and infertility, among other conditions.
In 2018, 1.97 million preterm births were due to chemical exposure. The study also linked the chemical to 74,000 newborn deaths.
In a 2025 study, it found a baby’s placenta had a significantly higher amount of microplastics in a preterm birth than in a full-term birth.
Microplastics were found in the placenta in 2020 and have also been found in breast milk, semen, and bone marrow, among other places.
