Bisphenol A (BPA), a common chemical used in polycarbonate plastics and often found in the lining of food cans, is frequently in the news because it also disrupts human hormones. Researchers have known for a while that the chemical can impair female fertility.
But new research published in the journal Life Sciences found BPA may cause similar effects in males — and that the diminished fertility may persist for three generations.
The study exposed male rats to low doses of BPA from conception until they were weaned. Those males went on to weigh more than their unexposed counterparts and had lower sperm counts, less mobile sperm, defective cells in their testes and lower overall levels of testosterone and estrogen. (Via Environmental Health News.)
