High Levels of BPA May Hamper Male Sexual Function

Exposure to high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in thousands of everyday plastics, appears to cause sexual problems for males, according to a new study. In the study published in the journal Human Reproduction, researchers followed 634 male workers exposed to BPA at four Chinese factories. Over the course of five years, those men were four times as likely to have erectile dysfunction and seven times more likely to have difficulty with ejaculation, according to De-Kun Li, a scientist at the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute. Li said BPA, the primary component of hard and clear polycarbonate plastics — including water bottles, baby bottles, and the linings of canned foods — appears to adversely alter the hormonal balance in humans. While researchers have made similar conclusions based on studies of mice or rats, this is the first evidence of effects on humans. While men involved in the study were exposed to chemical levels 50 times higher than the average American man, Li said the findings reveal a need to research how lower exposures affect males.