Phthalates are chemical compounds used in food packaging, among other things.
Phthalates in plastic and early mortality are now associated. The study, made public Tuesday, demonstrates the link between these chemical compounds and deaths due to cardiovascular diseases or cancers. It also points to the cost of lost economic productivity resulting from the nearly 100,000 deaths per year attributable to these endocrine disruptors.
These phthalates are considered harmful endocrine disruptors to health, but the direct link between exposure to them and deaths from cardiovascular disease or cancer in the United States had not yet been definitively established, says the NYU Grossman School of Medicine study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution. The researchers analyzed the effects of phthalate exposure on a population of 5,303 adults over the age of 20. The study and biological analyses (including urine) of the participants took place between 2001 and 2010, before mortality statistics were unraveled through the end of 2015. Data analyses were extracted in July 2020.
Urgent action needed
By “extrapolating (the results) to the age range of the U.S. population from 55 to 64 years, we identified 90,761 to 107,283 deaths attributable” to phthalate exposure, the study explains. “Our findings show that greater exposure to phthalates is associated with premature death, particularly from heart disease,” said one of the authors, Leonardo Trasande, quoted in a statement.
“Until now, we knew that chemicals caused cardiovascular disease, which is a leading cause of death. But we hadn’t yet directly linked these chemicals to mortality,” added the New York University scientist, who authored the work with two colleagues from the University of Iowa, Buyun Liu and Wei Bao.
The researchers also calculated the economic cost of these premature deaths to the United States in terms of lost productivity: “$39.9 to $47.1 billion per year,” they said. “Further studies will need to corroborate these observations and identify the mechanisms (at work), but regulatory authorities must act urgently,” the New York University study argues.
