Lousy Sex Life? Blame Plastic
A study has found that workers exposed to high levels of bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in the manufacture of plastics and other consumer goods, were at least four times likelier to report sexual problems, including erectile dysfunction. (continued)
A study has found that workers exposed to high levels of bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in the manufacture of plastics and other consumer goods, were at least four times likelier to report sexual problems, including erectile dysfunction.
The men surveyed for Kaiser Permanente’s research had been exposed to much larger quantities of the stuff than the average bottled water drinker, but the data appear to back up similar findings in animals.
BPA is most commonly found in Type 7 and Type 3 plastic containers (look for the number inside the triangular recycling symbol on plastic products). — PZS
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Compared to the unexposed factory workers in the study, BPA-exposed workers were four times more likely to report erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, and less than optimal satisfaction with their sex lives. They were seven times more likely to report problems with ejaculation.
The findings must be replicated to prove the link between high levels of exposure to BPA and sexual dysfunction in men, Kaiser Permanente reproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.
“We also need to study lower levels of exposure closer to those consumers get,” he says. “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.”
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Mother Jones reporter Mariah Blake tells Amy Goodman there is new research suggesting that even BPA-free plastics contain chemicals that can act like estrogen in the body and cause disease.
Marcia Herman-Giddens first observed the age of puberty dropping for American girls in the late 1980s. Today, she and other researchers agree that the average age of onset has fallen significantly since the 1970s, and some point toward chemicals like bisphenol A—a ubiquitous hormone-like substance that the FDA recently refused to ban—as a possible cause.
Public concern about the dangers of BPA, or bisphenol A, hasn't translated into regulatory measures on the part of the Food and Drug Administration, as the agency isn't yet cracking down on the chemical, which turns up in a few commonly used products and even in receipts.
In the face of mounting scientific evidence, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit devoted to wiping out breast cancer, has published statements on its website that dismiss links between the disease and the ubiquitous chemical bisphenol A (BPA), while simultaneously funding research exploring that connection. (more)
The chemical BPA is common in plastic products such as baby bottles and food containers, despite concerns among scientists and environmentalists about its safety. The FDA has defended BPA use and recently turned to an outside panel for backup. That group of scientists, however, ended up criticizing the agency's guidelines.
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