Plasticizers found in liquor made by Hunan-based Jiugui Liquor Co far exceed national standards, China's top quality watchdog said on Wednesday.

The chemicals can cause male fertility problems and induce early female puberty. Experiments on animals have also demonstrated a carcinogenic effect.

The highest amount of DBP — a type of the substance found in the product samples from the Chinese liquor maker — was 1.04 mg/kg, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The result was reported by the Hunan provincial bureau of quality and technical supervision on Wednesday, the administration said in a statement on its website.

The law stipulates that every kilogram of food should contain less than 0.3 mg of DBP.

On Wednesday, Jiugui's shares were suspended from the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, two days after business news website 21cbh.com reported that the company's products were found to contain excessive amounts of the chemical.

The incident is also hitting the country's entire liquor industry after the China Alcoholic Drinks Association said on its website on Tuesday that almost all of the country's white-spirit products contain the chemical, although the association insisted that the content is far below the usual limit set on such products overseas.