Phthalates, ubiquitous in everyday items, are linked to a 50% increased risk of premature birth in mothers with higher exposure levels, prompting calls for global regulation and public awareness to mitigate health risks associated with plastic usage.
Phthalates, chemical compounds utilized to soften plastic, pervade numerous everyday items including plastic containers, beauty products, and toys.
Known as “hormone disruptors” for decades, phthalates interfere with the endocrine system, previously associated with obesity, heart disease, cancer, and fertility issues.
Leonardo Trasande, lead author from New York University’s Langone Health center, explained that due to their hormone-affecting properties, phthalates could induce early labor and premature birth.
A study analyzing over 5,000 pregnant women’s urine in the US examined the correlation between phthalate exposure and premature births.
According to research published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the top 10% of mothers with the highest phthalate levels faced a 50% increased risk of delivering before week 37 compared to the lowest 10%.
The extrapolation of these findings suggests nearly 56,600 premature births in the US in 2018 might have been linked to phthalate exposure, constituting about 10% of the nation’s premature births that year.
Premature and underweight babies often encounter more health complications later in life. The study approximated the medical and social costs of phthalate-induced preterm births in the US between $1.6 and $8.1 billion.
Although the study focused on the US, Trasande suggested that phthalates’ omnipresence implies that 5 to 10% of premature births in most countries could be attributable to them.
How to minimize Phthalate Exposure
Trasande estimated that over three-quarters of phthalate exposure stems from plastic use. He emphasized the necessity of balancing plastic’s societal benefits against its detriments, advocating for a global treaty to reduce plastic production significantly.
He argued that plastic manufacturers aren’t held accountable for the health consequences, neglecting care for preterm babies affected by their products.
Despite growing awareness, companies replacing the common phthalate DEHP with other compounds within the same chemical group may pose even more significant risks, as per Trasande’s concerns.
He urged for regulating phthalates as a collective group rather than focusing on individual compounds.
Stephanie Eick, a reproductive health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, though not involved in the study, acknowledged the inability to definitively prove phthalates directly cause premature births. However, she highlighted an abundance of observational studies supporting the hypothesis.
To minimize exposure, Eick recommended reducing consumption of plastic-wrapped foods and avoiding personal care products containing phthalates. Trasande cautioned against microwaving or dishwashing plastic containers, as they can release phthalates, contaminating food later on.
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