Plastics chemical BPA tied to poor sperm quality

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THURSDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) — Men with high amounts of the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in their urine also tend to have impaired semen quality, a new study of factory workers in China reveals.

The research, funded by the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, found high urine levels of BPA to be significantly associated with a drop in sperm concentration, overall sperm count, sperm vitality and sperm motility.

Although prior work with mice and rats had uncovered troubling associations between BPA exposure and damage to the male reproductive system, the current finding is the first drawn from research involving people.

“Compared with men without detectable urine BPA, those with detectable urine BPA had more than three times the risk of lowered sperm concentration and lower sperm vitality, more than four times the risk of a lower sperm count, and more than twice the risk of lower sperm motility,” study lead author Dr. De-Kun Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., said in a news release from the organization.

Full Story: Plastics Chemical BPA Tied to Poor Sperm Quality – US News and World Report

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