Study: High BPA Linked to Sex Issues in Men

Nov. 11, 2009 -- Workers exposed to very high levels of the chemical
bisphenol A (BPA) were four to seven times more likely to report sexual
function problems as were workers with no occupational exposure to the
chemical, a new study finds.
Earlier research has linked BPA exposure to reproduction problems in
animals, but the five-year study is the first to do so in humans.
Researchers with Kaiser Permanente compared self-reported sexual function
scores among male factory workers in China who were and were not exposed to BPA
on the job.
BPA levels among the occupationally exposed men were about 50 times higher
than average levels among American men and Chinese men with no occupational
exposure to the chemical, the researchers said.
Lower Sex Drive, Less Satisfaction
Compared to the unexposed factory workers in the study, BPA-exposed workers
were four times more likely to report erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire,
and less than optimal satisfaction with their sex lives. They were seven times
more likely to report problems with ejaculation.
The findings must be replicated to prove the link between high levels of
exposure to BPA and sexual dysfunction in men, Kaiser Permanente reproductive
epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.
"We also need to study lower levels of exposure closer to those consumers
get," he says. "But up until this point the critics have dismissed the idea
that BPA has health effects at any level because most of the research has been
in animals. They can no longer do this."
BPA has been used for more than three decades to make plastic bottles and
other products shatter resistant and clear. It is also used in the lining of
many canned foods and a wide range of other commercial goods.
For nearly a decade, scientists have debated whether exposure to BPA through
commercial products poses a health threat to humans.
The new study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, does not
address this issue, because BPA levels among the occupationally exposed men
were so much higher than in the community at large.
Consumer BPA Risk Debated
But Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente vice president for workplace safety and
environmental stewardship officer, says that because it is not clear what
constitutes a safe level of exposure to the chemical, consumers should seek
products that are BPA free.
“More research is definitely needed to explore the effects of BPA at lower
levels, but it is certainly concerning that at the occupational levels reported
in this study there is now evidence that PBA has harmful effects on the male
reproductive system,�? she tells WebMD.
Last spring, the six largest manufacturers of baby bottles announced they
would stop making bottles containing BPA for sale in the United States.
And more and more of those rigid reusable plastic water bottles sold in
stores are now made without BPA and have labels telling consumers this.
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