Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to the more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease that occurred in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows.
Daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make plastic household items could be linked to the more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease that occurred in 2018 alone, a new analysis of population surveys shows.
Although the chemicals, called phthalates, are in widespread use globally, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific bore a much larger share of the death toll than others—about three-fourths of the total.
For decades, experts have connected health problems to exposure to certain phthalates found in cosmetics, detergents, solvents, plastic pipes, bug repellants, and other products. These chemicals break down into microscopic particles and are ingested, and studies have linked such exposure to an increased risk of conditions ranging from obesity and diabetes to fertility issues and cancer.
Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the current study focused on a kind of phthalate called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make food containers, medical equipment, and other plastic items softer and more flexible. Exposure has been shown in other studies to prompt an overactive immune response (inflammation) in the heart’s arteries, which over time is associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke. In their new analysis, the authors estimated that DEHP exposure contributed to 356,238 deaths, or more than 13 percent of all global mortality from heart disease in 2018 among men and women ages 55 through 64.
Read more at NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Photo Credit: tomwieden via Pixabay
