Researchers say 74,000 newborn baby deaths and 2 million premature births worldwide may be linked to chemicals used to make plastics more flexible.
According to a new study published in the online clinical journal The Lancet, exposure to phthalates could explain roughly 8 percent of premature births worldwide in 2018. The analysis, led by New York University Langone Health researchers, adds to a growing body of research on the health risks particularly from di-2-ethylhexylphthalate, or DEHP.
“Plastics are a preventable risk factor for preterm birth, and in contrast to genetics and other factors that we can’t control,” said Leonardo Trasande, the study’s senior author and professor of pediatrics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “As we reduce plastic pollution, we can reduce preterm birth.”
DEHP, a widely used chemical additive in the phthalates family, can break down into tiny particles and persist through food, air and dust.
