From plastics and pesticides to cosmetics and food packaging, the everyday chemicals people encounter are at the centre of a new British documentary featuring a University of Cape Town professor investigating their possible link to declining fertility.

Prof Aqiel Dalvie, director of UCT’s Centre for Environmental and Occupational Research in the School of Public Health, appears in Infertile. The film is made by Escapade Productions and distributed by Espresso Media.

The film examines chemicals found in plastics, pesticides, cosmetics, food packaging and household items. It explores whether these are driving a global fertility crisis that affects an estimated one in six people.

Dalvie says the subject lies at the heart of his work.

“The topic is a major public-health issue globally and has been the central focus of my research throughout my career. I agreed to participate because it provides an important opportunity to increase public awareness and understanding of this growing challenge.”

The documentary includes footage from fieldwork Dalvie conducted in the rural Western Cape. There, a cohort study launched in 2017 continues to track the reproductive health of 1 000 children exposed to pesticides.

Dalvie has worked at UCT for more than three decades. He also holds the chair in Global Environmental Health. This is a collaboration between UCT and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

His research has examined hormone levels, semen quality and fertility among workers exposed to DDT, used in malaria-control spraying. Also, he has studied chemical exposure among farmworkers and communities across South Africa.

“Our research has demonstrated widespread and persistent environmental pollution by endocrine-disrupting chemicals in both urban and rural settings in South Africa,” he says. “These exposure levels are high compared with those reported in many other countries.”

ALSO READ: UCT Day held on middle campus