Chemicals in food containers, medical equipment behind spike
Chemicals in food containers, medical equipment behind spike in heart disease deaths — Lancet
Daily exposure to certain chemicals used in plastic items like food containers or medical equipment could be linked to an increase in deaths due to heart disease worldwide
NEW DELHI — Daily exposure to certain chemicals used in plastic items like
food containers or medical equipment could be linked to an increase in deaths
due to heart disease worldwide, according to a study published in the journal
Lancet eBiomedicine on Tuesday.
Researchers at New York University Langone Health said
that the chemicals, called phthalates, are in widespread use globally.
Phthalates found in cosmetics, detergents, solvents,
plastic pipes, and bug repellants have for decades been linked with an
increased risk of conditions ranging from obesity and diabetes to fertility
issues and cancer.
The new study 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.
Previous studies linked their exposure with an overactive
immune response (inflammation) in the heart’s arteries, which can potentially
lead to heart attack or stroke.
However, the new analysis estimated that DEHP exposure
contributed to 356,238 deaths, or more than 13 per cent 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 lead author Sara Hyman, an associate research scientist at NYU Grossman
School of Medicine.
For the research, 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.
The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific
bore a much larger share of the death toll than others -- about three-fourths
of the total.
It is because 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, the researchers explained.
“Our results underscore the urgent need for global
regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most
affected by rapid industrialisation and plastic consumption,” said Leonardo
Trasande, from NYU Grossman.
Trasande stated that the overall death toll from heart
disease connected to these chemicals is likely much higher.
