www.thestar.com, June 14, 2009 – Could a plastic bottle or a credit-card receipt affect your sperm count?

“… common practices may bring you in contact with bisphenol A, one of the many manmade chemicals that interfere with hormones. The case against these hormone-disrupting chemicals has been building for years, led in part by Myers. He was co-author of the 1996 book, Our Stolen Future….

“… bisphenol A, which is used to make polycarbonate plastic, found in countless consumer products. Bisphenol A is also in the epoxy resins that line cans and, unfortunately, leaches into the food.

Another source of BPA is “…carbonless paper, such as receipts.”

Fetal development is affected.  The rate of “male reproductive-tract birth defects” appears to be increasing.

“…indications that sperm count has been declining over the last 50 years. “

Phthalates are:

“a family of compounds used as plasticizers in a wide range of products, including cosmetics, act as anti-androgens, suppressing the male sex hormone. In rodents, they cause the birth defects and lower sperm count….”

Breast and prostate cancer:

“…In animals, we can cause adult cancer by exposure to certain hormone-disruptors in the womb.”

Other conditions:

“People with higher levels of bisphenol A … have an elevated risk for heart disease, heart attack, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.”