About this episode

Dr. Shanna Swan discusses her research on the impact of plastic on fertility and the documentary 'The Plastic Detox'.

For decades, Dr Shanna Swan has studied the relationship between environmental chemicals and human reproduction. Her research has helped drive a global conversation about declining fertility, reproductive health, and the potential effects of chemicals found in everyday products. Dr Swan worked with 6 couples with unexplained infertility to see what might happen if they eliminated as much plastic from their homes and their lives as possible. The Netflix documentary follows them from the supermarket to the bedroom to see if reducing their exposure to plastic might improve their chances of having a baby. The documentary is called The Plastic Detox. Jesse speaks to Dr Shanna Swan.

People in this episode

Host: Jesse

Guest: Dr Shanna Swan

Topics covered

• fertility
• environmental chemicals
• reproductive health
• plastic exposure
• infertility
• documentary

Keywords

• fertility
• plastic
• reproductive health
• infertility
• environmental chemicals
• The Plastic Detox
• Dr Shanna Swan

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix

Books & works: The Plastic Detox

More episodes of Afternoons

• The pre-Panel: Your daily dose of stuff and nonsense · July 20, 2026 · 8 min
• Podcast Critic: What Became of Jack? · July 20, 2026 · 7 min
• Book Critic: Whistler by Ann Patchett and other releases · July 20, 2026 · 10 min
• Mayoral Minutes with Upper Hutt Mayor Peri Zee · July 20, 2026 · 9 min
• Suzy Eddie Izzard on her latest project · July 20, 2026 · 10 min
• Why is it so hard for booksellers to get NZ books? · July 20, 2026 · 8 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Afternoons podcast page.