You may not need to blame yourself or your partner in case you are suffering from sexual arousal problems. The enemy could still be closer than you think.
Experts at Pwani University are now linking the rapidly growing prevalence of sexual dysfunction in Kenya to an unlikely culprit – recycled plastics.
Researchers at Pwani University's department of environmental science said one of the active ingredients in recycled plastics is bisphenol A (BPA), an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and resins.
Past studies have solidly confirmed it causes impotence, lower sexual desire and lower satisfaction when ingested in large amounts.
BPA can be ingested through food or beverages taken from plastic containers.
Pwani University's Prof Okeyo Benards has been studying the effects of plastics on human health. He said BPA is associated with erectile dysfunction and other reproductive problems, including birth defects.
During the recycling process, some chemicals in plastics change and become more toxic than they were in the previous plastic compound.
This makes the newer plastics more dangerous to human health.
“BPA, when it enters the body, can mimic the effects of oestrogen and may block male sex hormones, including testosterone. The study, which is still ongoing, suggests that the implications go beyond male sexual dysfunction,” Prof Okeyo said.
It is estimated 15 per cent of Kenyan men and almost a fifth of Kenyan women have infertility-related problems, according to the recent statistics from the Ministry of Health.
The causes have not been properly studied.
The BPA chemical has since 2009 been linked to impotence and lower sexual desire and satisfaction, according to a study done on factory workers in China at that time.
While people should not be alarmed by the findings because the trace amounts of BPA that leach out of recycled bottles and food containers are not necessarily dangerous, it is wise to limit plastic use.
Okeyo said when recycled plastic is introduced to heat, it breaks into micro-plastics that are ingested into the human body causing serious health implications.
“Recycling remains an option in reducing the quantity of plastics in the environment, but in terms of chemical pollution and rate of toxicity, they are even more toxic than the old plastic,” he said.
For many years, recycling has been used as a way of reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment and oceans, but recent studies show the process may be causing more harm than good.
In October last year, a major report by the International Pollutants Elimination Network suggested recycling plastics does more harm.
The report is titled, Chemical recycling: A dangerous deception. It said the process of recycling creates even more dangerous components.
"Many world leaders now recognise that any international plan to control plastic pollution will require major cuts in production and prohibition of toxic components," the authors suggested.
The study was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
"These chemicals can disrupt endocrine function and increase risk for male reproductive birth defects, infertility, obesity, cardiovascular disease, renal disease and cancers," they said.
"Foetuses and young children are particularly sensitive to chemicals in plastics that are associated with increased risks of prematurity, stillbirth, low birth weight, birth defects of the reproductive organs, neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth and childhood cancer."
Okeyo concurred with the findings. He advised people to reduce the number of plastic products used in households and carefully segregate plastic waste to be burned in incinerators.
“Burning plastic waste in residential areas releases dangerous fumes into the air that are not safe for inhalation. People should set aside plastic waste and let it be collected by municipal workers who have incineration structures for burning such waste materials,” he added.
When microplastics get into the body they cannot be digested and live in the body for as long as the person lives.
“Microplastics are very complex and cannot be seen with the naked eye. This makes it one of the health hazards from plastics,” Okeyo said.
He also warned against exposing water in plastic bottles to sunlight.
Exposure of bottled water to sunlight leaches microplastics and heavy metals into the water, thereby compromising its quality.
“If you move to the town centre now you will find bottled water being sold and it is exposed to direct sunlight. This is dangerous and poses a great health risk. Businesspeople should ensure water in plastic bottles is sold on shelves where it is not exposed to sunlight,” Okeyo added.
Sexologist Prof Joachim Osur, in an unrelated paper, confirmed sexual dysfunction cases are on the rise in Kenya.
In February this year, Prof Osur and his colleagues published the distribution of sexual dysfunctions among patients seeking services at his Nairobi's Sexology Clinic.
He said the health system is least prepared to manage sexual dysfunctions and lacks trained professionals who can adequately assess and manage individuals with sexual dysfunctions because the need for the service has not been documented.
Osur reviewed patient files for 362 men and 34 women.
The most prevalent sexual disorders in both genders were sexual arousal disorders (76.4 per cent), sexual desire problems (16.42 per cent) and orgasmic disorders (3.6 per cent).
"Health promotion and treatment programmes for sexual dysfunction should be developed to mirror those in more liberal countries because sexual medicine needs are the same," he said in a paper published in February in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
It is titled "Epidemiology of sexual dysfunctions in Kenya: The case of patients seen at the Sexology Clinic, Nairobi, Kenya."
Moses Ndirangu, an expert in microplastics and a lecturer at Pwani University said many residents living adjacent to plastic production and waste disposal sites suffer cases such as premature birth, low birth weight, asthma, child leukaemia and lung cancer.
He said a new study that he is involved in has shown many people eat microplastics through fish.
“I am currently working on a study of the amount of microplastics in the Sabaki estuary in Malindi. This is where water from the Nairobi River, Athi River and the Galana River enter the Indian Ocean. What I have found is that most of the fish at the estuary have large amounts of microplastics,” Ndirangu said.
He recommended that a global plastic agreement be implemented and fully executed to control manufacturers and the use of plastic to reduce environmental health impacts.
Ashley Kazungu, a student pursuing a Masters in Environmental Science at Pwani University explained the need for people to reduce the amount of plastics in their households to protect themselves from the adverse health effects caused by the products.
“The most important thing that we can do as a society is to reduce the amount of plastic that we use. If you do not need plastic, please do not use it. Especially when serving hot drinks, beverages and food,” she said.
Kazungu emphasised the need for people to unite to fight the country's plastic crisis to preserve our health and environment for ourselves and future generations.