Another emerging study has linked the hazardous chemical substance, bisphenol “BPA” with yet another adverse physical effect. According to Natural News, the toxic substance, BPA, has been linked, again, to sperm health issues but, this time, the study involved humans. The research was conducted by Kaiser Permanente and published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. BPA is a plastic hardening chemical whose ubiquity is legendary.
Natural News pointed out that these findings are of significant concern because the symptoms were revealed at very low exposures, an issue is given that BPA can be found in a broad spectrum of consumer products including paper receipts, aquatic paints which ultimately contaminate our waters, and, said Natural News, the coating of electronic products.
“BPA, a plastic and resin ingredient used to make a wide variety of plastic goods and to line metal food and drink cans (ever wonder how those canned contents slip so easily out and onto your plate, or into your bowl or mouth?), is a toxin associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems,” wr0te Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith in their book The Detox Strategy, quoted Natural News. “BPA is commonplace found in copious brands of fruit, vegetables, soda, and other frequently eaten canned goods. It migrates from the can or plastic into the contents, which are then ingested.”
For this study, the researchers reviewed 218 workers at a Chinese epoxy resin factory over five years, collecting and testing their urine and sperm for “sperm concentration, count, motility, morphology, and vitality,” said Natural News. The men who tested with the highest BPA urine concentrations were four times likelier to have low sperm count and experienced a two-fold risk of having low sperm motility versus men with no detectable BPA levels, said Natural News. High BPA concentrations were also linked to significantly lower sperm concentration and vitality. These effects, said Natural News, were seen at levels normally found in general populations.
“This study counters the argument that only highly exposed populations are affected,” researcher De-Kun Li said, quoted Natural News. “You can be exposed from the workplace. You can be exposed to consumer products. It doesn’t really matter,” added Li. “For the past few decades, sperm counts have been declining this might be related to exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as BPA,” said reproductive physiologist Gail Prins of the University of Illinois, quoted Natural News, which noted that Prins was not involved in the study.
Hundreds of studies have linked BPA to toxic injury and life-threatening illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, intestinal problems, brain cell connection interference, increased risks of reproductive and immune system diseases and disorders, problems with liver function testing, interruptions in chemotherapy, and premature puberty. We have also long written about BPA’s links to PCOS, female fertility issues, erectile dysfunction, and male sexual problems. In addition to growing concern over the negative impact of BPA on health and the environment, and despite tremendous public support for increased regulation concerning toxic chemicals, Congress has continued to act on the side of the industry.
