Regular exposure to paint chemicals called glycol solvents may harm male fertility, suggests a British study that looked at more than 2,000 men attending 14 fertility clinics.

The researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield found that painters, decorators and other men who work with glycol solvents -- used in water-based paints -- were 250 percent more likely to have sperm motility problems than other men, BBC News reported.

Sperm motility, which refers to the amount of movement of individual sperm, plays an important role in overall fertility.