I know – I’m on my soapbox again. But seriously, this BPA thing is getting bigger and bigger. This week, the results of a study of the impact of BPA exposure on humans was released. And the results are not good.

In case you aren’t familiar with BPA – or bisphenol A – it is a chemical compound that is a synthetic estrogen. It is found in all kinds of products including neoprene water bottles and other #7 plastics, as well as the plastic lining in canned foods. It is so prevalent that it has been found in the urine of 93% of the US population. And it’s something I have blogged about many times in the past.

Well, the chemical companies have been hiding behind the idea that there hasn’t been any proof that BPA is harmful to humans (only animals). So according to today’s Washington Post, researchers in China did a study of “634 male workers at four factories in China who were exposed to elevated levels of BPA. They followed the men over five years and compared their sexual health with that of male workers in other Chinese factories where BPA was not present.”

Guess what? There was a clear link between the men exposed to BPA and erectile dysfunction as well as other issues. The Post article stated: “The men handling BPA were four times as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction and seven times as likely to have difficulty with ejaculation.” Uh oh. The most troubling finding was that the thing is that the men started having issues within months of starting to work at these factories. It was not something that needed years to build up.

So here’s my 2 cents, despite the fact that there have been numerous other studies showing the dangers of BPA exposure, this one – with its connection to “ED”, will get the most attention… But regardless, it’s time for this issue to get some serious attention. BPA needs to be banned. Period. Banning it in baby bottles and formula cans is a start but we need to just ban it across the board.

Meantime, continue to avoid #7 plastics unless it is clearly labeled as “bpa free” – and also try to minimize your use of canned foods.

If you want to learn more, check my other posts about bisphenol A.