Today's Daily Mail ran the story, as did the Metro, which splashed it on its front page.

The study is likely to infuriate the plastics industry, which has consistently argued that while BPA is used in a number of plastics, it is employed at safe levels that are well below anything that would cause a health risk.

The researchers admitted that more study was needed to build on the preliminary data.

John Meeker, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, led the research.

He said: "Much of the focus for BPA is on the exposures in utero or in early life, which is of course important, but this [research] suggests exposure may also be a concern for adults."

The 190 men gave sperm and urine samples and 78 gave additional urine sample a month apart. BPA was detected in 89% of the urine samples.

"We found that if we compare somebody in the top quartile of exposure with the lowest, sperm concentration was on average about 23% lower in men with the highest BPA," said Meeker.

BPA is a chemical used in plastics and epoxy resins used to make packaging and other products.