“Our mixture risk assessment of chemicals which affect male reproductive health reveals alarming exceedances of acceptable combined exposures,” wrote the authors  in the paper, published on Thursday in the journal Environment International

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The paper studied urine samples from nearly 100 male volunteers and found alarming levels of endocrine disruptors which are known to reduce fertility.

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Cocktails of chemicals such as bisphenols A, S & F and polychlorinated dioxins, which are believed to interfere with hormones and affect sperm quality, were present at levels of up to 100 times more than those considered safe.

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The median exposure to these chemicals was 17 times the levels deemed acceptable.

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The study measured 9 chemicals, including bisphenols, phthalates and paracetamol, in urine samples from 98 Danish men between the ages of 18 to 30.

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Additionally, it used existing data, mostly from the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA), to estimate their likely exposure to 20 other chemicals.

The team then compared the results with acceptable levels of exposure derived from scientific literature.

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The study authors, led by Professor Andreas Kortenkamp of Brunel University London, said they were “astonished” by the magnitude of this hazard index in the volunteers studied.

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They were also surprised to find that though bisphenol A (BPA) was a strong contributor, elimination of bisphenol A will not reduce combined exposures to acceptable levels. BPA was followed by dioxins, paracetamol and phthalates. Paracetamol was described as “a driver of mixture risks among subjects using the drug”.

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All across the Western countries, sperm quality and quantity has reduced by 50% in the last 40 years. Moreover, other reproductive health disorders, such as non-descending testes and testicular cancer have been on the rise.

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Scientists around the world agree that there could be a range of other possible causes behind falling sperm counts, including lifestyle factors, tobacco consumption and environmental, air and water pollution.

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But recent studies have focused on the role played by chemicals.

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“Our analysis has the character of a prediction which could be verified in suitably designed epidemiological studies of semen quality,” Kortenkamp and his colleagues wrote.

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Pending further studies in populations, the researchers called for urgent regulatory action such as a ban of BPA from food contact materials as a precautionary measure.

 

They conclude that dedicated efforts towards lowering exposures to all these substances are necessary to mitigate risks.

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