CNN — Synthetic chemicals called phthalates, found in consumer products such as food storage containers, shampoo, makeup, perfume and children’s toys, may have contributed to more than 10% of all global mortality from heart disease in 2018 among men and women ages 55 through 64, a new study found.
“Phthalates contribute to inflammation and systemic inflammation in the coronary arteries, which can accelerate existing disease and lead to acute events including mortality,” said senior author Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics and population health at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine.
He also is director of NYU Langone’s Division of Environmental Pediatrics and Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards.
Fragrance is one everyday product containing chemicals linked to neurodevelopmental issues in infants.
“Phthalates are known to disrupt testosterone,” Trasande said, adding that in men, “low testosterone is a predictor of adult cardiovascular disease.”
Phthalates have been linked in earlier studies with reproductive problems, such as genital malformations and undescended testes in baby boys and lower sperm counts and testosterone levels in adult males. Studies have also linked phthalates to asthma, childhood obesity and cancer.
“The new study underscores the potentially enormous health and economic burden of DEHP exposure, which aligns with existing concerns about its risks,” said David Andrews, acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, a consumer organization that monitors exposure to phthalates and other chemicals in plastics, in an email. He was not involved with the study.
The American Chemistry Council, which represents industry, declined to comment on the study but told CNN via email that the organization’s High Phthalates Panel is dedicated to promoting the benefits of high phthalates such as DINP and DIDP …
