Health experts have rejected claims by Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that allege chemicals in the environment could be contributing to gender dysphoria in children, calling the theory "unfounded."
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, has repeatedly claimed that exposure to endocrine disruptors could be causing "gender confusion" among children. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormones and are commonly found in pesticides and plastic.
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“I want to just pursue just one question on these, you know, the other endocrine disruptors because our children now, you know, we’re seeing these impacts that people suspect are very different than in ages past about sexual identification among children and sexual confusion, gender confusion,” Kennedy said in a June 2022 episode of his podcast. “These kinds of issues that are very, very controversial today.”
Kennedy's speculation is based on a study that found one endocrine disruptor chemical called atrazine can cause some male frogs to become female and even produce eggs. The study found that exposing male frogs to the chemical turned 75% infertile, but turned one-tenth of them into female frogs. Kennedy suggested that the same chemicals could have similar effects on children and their sexuality.
Two experts claimed that although the disruptors can affect a person's reproductive functions, and increase the risk of obesity, there is no proof that it causes gender dysphoria.
“I don’t think people should be making statements about the relationship between environmental chemicals and changes in sexuality when there’s zero evidence,” Dr. Andrea Gore, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin, told CNN on Thursday.
Dr. Linda Kahn, assistant professor in the departments of pediatrics and population health at New York University, claimed that comparing the study of frogs to the gender discussion among youth going on in the United States today is comparing "apples to oranges."
A spokesperson for Kennedy said the presidential hopeful is not suggesting chemicals are the leading cause or only cause of gender dysphoria, but that more research should be conducted on atrazine's effect on children.
“Mr. Kennedy’s remarks are being mischaracterized. He is not claiming that endocrine disruptors are the only or main cause of gender dysphoria,” the spokesperson told CNN. “He is merely suggesting that, given copious research on the effects on other vertebrates, this possibility deserves further research.”
Although the experts are rejecting the connection between the chemical's use in frogs and children, they did confirm endocrine disruptors increase a person's risk of diabetes, obesity, thyroid disease, and other health conditions. But it is just one component of the person's risk.
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“It’s not as dramatic on an individual level as he might be making it out to be,” Kahn said.
Kennedy is currently seen as President Joe Biden's biggest challenger for the Democratic nomination but is still only polling at 19%. He has also touted other controversial theories, including a belief that the United States government played a role in the assassination of his uncle. He is also an anti-vaccine activist.