Different factors intervene in the causes of male infertility, both at the individual level and in relation to the environment; among them, genetic predisposition and environmental exposures. Among the environmental factors, some chemicals called bisphenols stand out – among them bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF).
These compounds are found in many everyday products such as food packaging, plastic bottles and can coatings, among others, because they are frequently used in the production of plastics and epoxy resins, and are considered endocrine disruptors because they can alter the functioning of the system. endocrine. The main route of human exposure is through the consumption of foods or beverages packaged with materials containing bisphenols.
Now, a study led by a team of researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV) and the CiberObn consortium, in which researchers from the University of the Faroe Islands have also participated , has evaluated the relationship between the levels of BPA, BPS and BPF in urine and various parameters of semen quality in 195 Spanish men of fertile age without a history of infertility and has found a significant inverse relationship between urinary levels of BPA and BPF and sperm vitality, observing that higher concentrations of these compounds are associated with lower sperm vitality.
Adverse effects of bisphenols on male reproductive health
Additionally, all participants exceeded the new tolerable daily intake (TDI) limits for BPA set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), indicating widespread exposure to these hormone disruptors above levels considered safe. This analysis is part of the Led-Fertyl project (Lifestyle and Environmental Determinants of Fertility), which is intended to be expanded with volunteers from other European countries.
If these negative effects are confirmed in other populations, it will be necessary to implement more restrictive policies on the use of bisphenols to reduce fertility problems.
The researcher María Ángeles Martínez, who is the first author of the study and is currently a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), has highlighted that “these results underline the urgent need to review the safety of these compounds and their impact on male fertility.” Furthermore, the research team warns that if these negative effects are confirmed in other populations, it will be necessary to implement more restrictive policies on the use of bisphenols to reduce fertility problems.
The results of this study have been published in the journal Environmental Research and provide new evidence on the adverse effects of bisphenols on male reproductive health, highlighting the need to reevaluate the safety of compounds such as BPS and BPF, which in recent years years have been used as alternatives to BPA.
