Chemicals in sunscreen may cause infertility

A new study from the National Institutes of Health finds that chemicals in sunscreens and personal care products that filter out UV rays may lead to infertility issues among men.

According to the study by the National Institutes of Health and the New York state Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, researchers found that men with high exposure to UV filters BP-2 or 4OH-BP had a 30 percent reduction in fecundity, the biological ability to reproduce. Lower fecundity may result in a longer time to pregnancy.

The researchers studied 501 couples that were trying to conceive a child from 16 counties in Michigan and Texas in 2005 through 2009. The women participants ranged from 18 to 44 years of age, and the men were over 18; none had a medical diagnosis of infertility.