An alarming new study showed a link between a common household chemical used to make plastic more pliable and heart disease fatalities — more than 350,000 a year.
This chemical, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), is found in a huge selection of household items, including detergents, shampoo bottles, garden hoses, wallpapers, plastic toys, and various food packaging. Also, in most cleaning products, wire and cable coatings, and even in medical products such as IV bags and tubing, blood bags, and catheters. The truth is, the list is so long, it can take a day to read.
The 2018 study by the NYU Langone Health in New York, US, examined the deaths of men and women aged between 55 and 64 — age group most at-risk of heart disease — and discovered that 13% of them were linked to exposure to this common household chemical.
“The past decade has presented a new and previously unrecognised risk for cardiovascular disease: exposure to plastic polymers and their chemical additives,” the researchers wrote in the journal eBiomedicine.
“Of particular concern are phthalates, particularly one class of DEHP, which are used to soften polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics.”
Study lead author Sara Hyman, an associate research scientist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine said, “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.”
In fact, DEHP and other phthalates have long been associated with a range of health issues, including cancer, obesity, diabetes, and reproductive problems.
The research in question now links DEPH to inflammation of the arteries, which increases the risk of heart disease and heart attack.
Researchers also discovered that Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific face higher exposures to this so called “everywhere chemical,” due to weaker manufacturing restrictions than in the West.
They urge for regulations that would limit the usage of DEPH globally.
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