“We think of plastics as an issue in high-income countries,” said Leonardo Trasande, a professor at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and one of the authors of the paper. “But what we’re seeing in the pattern geographically is disturbing.”
While the researchers acknowledge that exposure to phthalates coincides with other risk factors — such as obesity and metabolic disorders — the findings add to the growing evidence that chemicals used in plastics come with serious health risks.
Phthalates are a set of chemicals that are added to plastic to make it more stretchy, soft or flexible. In lotions, shampoos and perfumes, phthalates can be used to retain scents. But the chemicals — which are so common that some researchers call them “everywhere chemicals” — have attracted widespread concern from scientists.
In epidemiological studies, phthalates have been linked to male fertility problems, heart disease, obesity and ADHD. The United States allows nine kinds of phthalates to be used in food packaging. They are an example of what scientists call “endocrine-disrupting chemicals,” which can tweak and change the hormones in the body, causing multiple health problems.
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