BPA May Damage Sperm

<"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/toxic_substances">Bisphenol A—BPA—is a ubiquitous polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin found in a wide variety of consumer products, including common paper receipts and in water as a result of aquatic paints. Now, in a first-of-its-kind study involving humans, researchers determined that urinary concentrations of the dangerous chemical, may be linked to both decreased sperm quality and concentration, said Science Daily.

BPA can be found in appliances and windshields; aluminum can linings; baby bottles, infant formula, and sippy cups; eyeglasses; some dental sealants; water bottles; cars; and DVD and CD cases. As a component, BPA can be verified if the item contains recycling number 7. Science Daily pointed out that over six billion pounds of BPA are produced each year.

Known to imitate the hormone estrogen, BPA acts as an anti-androgen, and is also known to affect sexual development and processes, especially in developing fetuses, infants, and children. Hundreds of studies have linked BPA to 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 treatment, premature puberty, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and erectile dysfunction and male sexual problems.

We have long written that, in urine tests, BPA is found in the overwhelming majority of Americans, more than 93 percent and, significantly, the chemical is found in 90 percent of all newborns. Researchers note that their results are early and additional study is called for, noting that studies have previously suggested adverse effects from BPA on semen in rodents, wrote Science Daily. This emerging research is the first to suggest similar responses in humans.

The new study, which appears online in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, says future research should look at BPA and its effects on adult humans, according to John Meeker, lead author and assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, quoted Science Daily. Russ Hauser, the Frederick Lee Hisaw Professor of Reproductive Physiology at Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contributed to the study, said Science Daily.

“Much of the focus for BPA is on the exposures in utero or in early life, which is, of course, extremely important, but this suggests exposure may also be a concern for adults,” Meeker said. “Research should focus on impacts of exposure throughout multiple life stages,” he added, quoted Science Daily.

For their research 190 men from a fertility clinic provided spot urine and sperm samples on the same day; 78 provided “one or two additional urine samples a month apart,” said Science Daily. The team found BPA in 89 percent of the urine samples.

Sperm concentration, motility, shape, and DNA damage were measured. “We found that if we compare somebody in the top quartile of exposure with the lowest quartile of exposure, sperm concentration was on average about 23 percent lower in men with the highest BPA,” Meeker said, wrote Science Daily. A 10 percent increase in sperm DNA damage was also seen.

Results are consistent with a previous study by the team two and a larger study is in underway. “The study from which these data came is currently in progress,” Hauser said. “With a larger sample size and enhanced study design, we will be able to more definitively investigate this preliminary association in the near future,” he added, said Science Daily.