In our workplaces, we may have more to worry about than just our deadlines, especially if you work around chemicals. It has been found that workers who are exposed to very high levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) were four to seven times more likely to report sexual function difficulties than were the workers with no occupational exposure to BPA.
Earlier studies have linked exposure to BPA to reproduction problems in animals, however, this is the first five-year study to do so in humans. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente compared self-reported sexual function scores among male factory workers from China who were and were not exposed to BPA where they worked. The levels of BPA among the occupationally exposed men were approximately 50 times higher than average levels among American and Chinese men with no occupational exposure to the chemical, researchers stated.
When compared to the unexposed factory workers in the study, the BPA-exposed workers were four times more likely to report a low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, and less than optimal satisfaction with their sex lives. They were also seven times more likely to report difficulties with ejaculation.
Kaiser Permanente reproductive epidemiologist, De-Kun Li, M.D., said that the findings would need to be replicated to prove the link between high levels of exposure to BPA and the sexual dysfunction in men. He stated, “We also need to study lower levels of exposure closer to those consumers get. But up until this point the critics have dismissed the idea that BPA has health effects at any level because most of the research has been in animals. They can no longer do this.”
BPA has been used for over three decades to make plastic bottles and other products clear and shatter resistant. The chemical is also used in the lining of many canned foods and a variety of other commercial goods. For approximately a decade, scientists have debated whether BPA exposure through commercial products poses a health threat to humans.
The new study, which is published in the journal Human Reproduction, does not address this issue because the BPA levels among the occupationally exposed men were so much higher than in the general community at large. However, Kathy Gerwig, who is the Kaiser Permanente vice president for workplace safety and environmental stewardship officer, said that this is because it is not clear what constitutes a safe level of exposure to the chemical. Still, consumers should seek products that do not contain BPA.
She stated, “More research is definitely needed to explore the effects of BPA at lower levels, but it is certainly concerning that at the occupational levels reported in this study there is now evidence that BPA has harmful effects on the male reproductive system.”
This past spring, the six largest manufacturers of baby bottles made the announcement that they would stop making bottles that contained BPA for sale in the United States. Also, more and more of those rigid reusable plastic water bottles sold in stores are now made BPA free, and have labels stating this to consumers. However, there is still little way of knowing if the canned foods that we buy contain BPA in their linings because very few manufacturers say so on their labels. Gerwig expects this to change as more and more consumers demand products that are BPA free.
Steve Hentges, Ph.D., who is the American Chemical Council spokesman, said that the new study has little relevance to the public at large because the levels of BPA among the exposed workers were so much higher than the normal levels. He also pointed out that the study was relatively small, with just 230 occupationally exposed workers and 404 unexposed workers, and it relied on self-reported observations of sexual dysfunction.
by – Allie Montgomery/healthnews.com
I simple don't know what to …… I am scared!!!