A US study of workers in four factories in China concludes that exposure to high levels of a chemical found in everyday plastics products causes erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men, the Washington Post reported. The study, which was funded by the US government and published in journal Human Reproduction, is the first of its kind to investigate the health impact of bisphenol A, or BPA, on male human reproductive systems. Previous studies conducted on animals were rejected as irrelevant by chemical manufacturers. The five-year study tracked 634 male workers at four factories in China who were exposed to high levels of BPA. It found that the workers were four times more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction and have difficulty with ejaculation. The symptoms usually appeared shortly after the workers began work in the factory, indicating that BPAs impact is immediate, not cumulative. Since the exposure levels were 50 times higher than what an average US male is exposed to, whether lesser exposure levels would still have an affect is unclear. However, since BPA is most easily absorbed through food and drink containers, the study may put pressure on the US FDA to increase scrutiny of its presence in such products. Some manufacturers have already pledged to remove the chemical from baby bottles and water bottles. Last year the FDA’s scientific advisory board criticized the agency for ignoring academic and government studies that linked BPA with adverse health affects like weight gain, infertility, cancer and diabetes. The FDA has promised to review the issue again this month.
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