(HealthDay News) -- Exposure to the plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA) can affect men's testosterone levels, a new study has found.

BPA is used in a large number of consumer products, including food and drink containers. A number of countries have moved to ban the use of the chemical in the manufacture of baby bottles and other feeding items.

In the new study, an international team of researchers analyzed data from 715 Italian adults, aged 20 to 74. They found that their average BPA exposure was more than 5 micrograms per day, which is slightly higher than recent estimates for the U.S. population.

Higher BPA exposure was statistically associated with hormone changes in men; specifically, small increases in levels of testosterone in the blood, according to David Melzer, professor of epidemiology and public health at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, U.K., and colleagues. Read more...

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