Many of us use plastic bottles everyday. Not only is it more efficient but it also helps make life easier sometimes. Food containers, baby bottles, water bottles these are just a few examples of things we use in everyday life that contains plastic, and BPA. BPA stands for Bisphenol A and it is a chemical that is found in plastic products. BPA is an endocrine disruptor and it disrupts your endocrine system. This causes developmental and neurological issues, especially with hormones. Researches are finding out that this chemical is causing a rise of testosterone in men. When they tested 715 men from ages 20 to 74 they found that men with a higher BPA excretion in their urine had higher testosterone levels in their blood. They said that women had no significant changes, so this chemical is only affecting males, so far.
This relates to biology because the endocrine system is responsible for secreting hormones into the bloodstream. This chemical is causing a hormone that males have a great amount of to increase. Some research even show that high levels of testosterone can be linked with high risk for heart disease.
This is important because we need to know what chemicals are in the products we use and this new study shows us that BPA is affecting the male endocrine system. So next time you go to pick up a water bottle guys think twice about putting your lips on it.
Source:http://www.webmd.com/news/20100826/stidy-bpa-linked-to-higher-testosterone-levels
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.