Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, is a man-made industrial chemical that has long been used in the creation of certain resins and plastics. While BPA is commonly used in manufacturing food and neverage containers, it has been linked to heart and kidney problems in children an increased risk of juvenile obesity.
Now, Science Daily reports that this chemical may also contribute to infertility.
Researchers led by Catherine Racowsky, PhD, director of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital, subjected 352 excess eggs from 121 consenting adults to different levels of BPA.
They found that exposure to the chemical caused less eggs to mature, and more eggs to degenerate. Worse, some of the samples acted as if they have been fertilized even if they were not. The more the eggs were exposed, the less were the chances of them reaching full maturity, increasing the risk of infertility.
Although it does take high levels of BPA to cause so much damage, the buildup of the chemical in the body can occur over time. Experts from the Mayo Clinic recommend using plastic products that are marked BPA-free or look for alternatives to plastic to cut down the chances of BPA poisoning altogether.
(Photo by Dan4th Nicholas via Flickr Creative Commons)
