Daily exposure to chemicals used in common household plastic products could be behind hundreds of thousands of heart disease-related deaths every year, according to a new study.
Scientists have long warned of health problems linked to this class of plastic chemicals called phthalates, typically found in cosmetics, detergents, solvents, plastic pipes, and bug repellants.
Previous studies have linked the chemicals to increased risks of obesity, diabetes, hormone and fertility issues, and cancer.
Now, a new study has linked the plastic ingredient to more than 356,000 global deaths from heart disease in 2018 alone.
Researchers from New York University Langone Health studied Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, or DEHP, which is used to make food containers, medical equipment, and other plastic products softer and more flexible, and found that prolonged exposure to the chemical could cause inflammation in the arteries of the heart, which, over time, could heighten heart attack or stroke risk.
The latest study, published in the journal EBio Medicine, found that DEHP exposure contributed to 356,238 deaths in 2018, nearly 13 per cent of all global mortality from heart disease among men and women aged between 55 and 64 that year.
Researchers estimated the economic burden from the deaths at around $510 billion but noted that it could reach as high as $3.74 trillion.
“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,” study co-author Sara Hyman said.
In the study, scientists assessed health and environmental data from dozens of population surveys to estimate DEHP exposure across 200 countries and territories. The data also included urine samples containing chemical breakdown products left by the plastic additive.
India had the highest death toll linked to phthalates at 103,587, followed by China and Indonesia, the study concluded.
Scientists suspect the high mortality linked to DEHP exposure in these countries could be due to a boom in their plastic production but with fewer manufacturing restrictions than in other regions.
“There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates,” study senior author Leonardo Trasande said.
While researchers cautioned that the findings did not imply DEHP caused heart disease directly or alone, they said the overall death toll from heart disease connected to these chemicals could be much higher.
“Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialization and plastic consumption,” Dr Trasande said.
