A chemcial found in plastic bottles and other sources has been linked to sexual problems in men.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The chemcial bisphenol A, or BPA, has been widely used in plastic products for more than 50 years. It's found in countless items we come in contact with every day, including water bottles, sports equipment, medical devices, dental fillings and sealants, eyeglass lenses, even CDs and DVDs. But the chemical has been getting a lot more attention lately as research points to BPA's unhealthy effects—so much so that both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have expressed concern. Now male sexual functioning can be added to the list of health problems linked to BPA exposure, a list that already includes cancer, diabetes, liver problems, and developmental problems and aggressive behavior in children.

THE DETAILS: The study involved 427 men from four separate regions of China. Some of the men worked in factories that manufactured plastics that contained BPA, thus the researchers were able to include subjects exposed to relatively high levels of BPA. But the researchers also included men with no occupational exposure to BPA. These men only had environmental exposure from handling everyday products that contained the chemical. Researchers measured BPA levels by way of urine samples.

Comparing the men's BPA levels in urine samples to their responses on questionnaires about sexual health, the researchers found a clear dose-response effect. That is, as urine levels of BPA went up, the men were more apt to report a decrease in sexual desire, more difficulty getting an erection, and lower ejaculation strength, and they felt a lower level of overall satisfaction with their sex life.

WHAT IT MEANS: A chemical many of us encounter on a daily basis may be affecting our health in ways we're not even aware of. “Even the men who had only environmental exposure showed an increased risk of sexual dysfunction,” says lead study author De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, MPH, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California. “And many of these men had lower BPA levels than the average levels normally found in U.S. men.”