Is BPA Damaging Your Man’s Swimmers?

New research from China-based researchers for Kaiser Permanente ties BPA, or Bisphenol-A, to decreased sperm quality and sperm count. BPA, which is banned in Canada and three U.S. states, is being phased out of most baby bottles, but is often used in plastics, tin cans, the casings of cell phones, and some other electronics.

The five-year study of 514 men in China was led by Dr. De-Kun Li. The findings show that men with higher urine BPA levels were two to four times more at risk for “poor semen quality,” which includes low sperm concentration, and low sperm “vitality,” and “mobility.” The study examined men working in factories in China, but said that BPA impacts people with less than the national average in America.

The paper said that when compared to men without any detectable urine BPA, those with detectable urine BPA had three times the risk of lower sperm concentration and vitality, and over four times the risk of a lower sperm count, as well as double the risk of lower sperm motility. Researchers also noted that BPA might also impact reproductive systems in women and could have adverse effects on illnesses such as cancer or metabolic diseases.

Click here for the release from Kaiser.