Daily exposure to certain chemicals called phthalates, used to make plastic household items has been linked to hundreds of thousands of global deaths from heart disease a new analysis of population surveys shows.
For decades, experts have connected health problems to exposure to certain phthalates found in cosmetics, detergents, solvents, plastic pipes, bug repellants, and other products.
When these chemicals break down into microscopic particles and are ingested, studies have linked them to an increased risk of conditions ranging from obesity and diabetes to fertility issues and cancer.
In the study, researchers at NYU Langone Health, focused on a kind of phthalate called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to make food containers, medical equipment, and other plastic 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.
“By highlighting the connection between phthalates and a leading cause of death across the world, our findings add to the vast body of evidence that these chemicals present a tremendous danger to human health,” said study lead author Sara Hyman, an associate research scientist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
The authors say the resulting economic burden from the deaths identified in their study was estimated to be around $510 billion and may have reached as high as $3.74 trillion.
In a past study from 2021, the research team tied phthalates to more than 50,000 premature deaths each year, mostly from heart disease, among older Americans. Their latest investigation is believed to be the first global estimate to date of cardiovascular mortality — or indeed any health outcome — resulting from exposure to the chemicals.
A report on the findings published in the journal Lancet eBiomedicine, said the team used health and environmental data from dozens of population surveys to estimate DEHP exposure across 200 countries and territories.
The information included urine samples containing chemical breakdown products left by the plastic additive.
Among the key findings, the study showed that losses in the combined region of East Asia and the Middle East and the combined region of East Asia and the Pacific accounted, respectively, for about 42 percent and 32 percent of the mortality from heart disease linked to DEHP.
A possible explanation, the authors say, is that these countries face higher rates of exposure to the chemicals, possibly because they are undergoing a boom in plastic production but with fewer manufacturing restrictions than other regions.
“There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates. Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialization and plastic consumption,” said study senior author Leonardo Trasande.
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