Exposure to phthalates is responsible for a significant portion of premature births, according to an extensive prospective study.
Phthalates are chemical compounds found in many everyday consumer products, such as plastic food packaging, PVC articles, and certain cleaning or cosmetic products. They are considered endocrine and metabolic disruptors, and their use is regulated in toys, electronic devices, food packaging, medical devices, and cosmetics. Some phthalates are classified as toxic to reproduction.
Bis phthalate was the most widely used phthalate in PVC objects before it was regulated. DEHP is associated with a 45% increase in the risk for premature birth. The most significant increase in risk is associated with urine levels of phthalic acid, diisodecyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, and diisononyl phthalate. These compounds replaced DEHP after the establishment of regulations limiting the use of the latter.
Safer alternatives exist, but the barrier to their use seems to be cost. Therefore, the authors attempted to estimate the environmental burden and health cost of phthalate use, including not only the short- and medium-term consequences of premature births but also child, and cardiovascular mortality.
The authors encouraged individual initiatives to reduce exposure to phthalates. They particularly recommended choosing cosmetics labeled as phthalate-free and replacing plastic-wrapped foods with fresh products., which is part of the Medscape professional network, using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
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