“our findings reveal that increased phthalate exposure is linked to early death, particularly due to heart disease,” said trasande.
“until now, we have understood that the chemicals connect to heart disease, and heart disease in turn is a leading cause of death, but we had not yet tied the chemicals themselves to death.”
researchers are working to discover exactly how phthalates affect hormone regulation and inflammation.
cnn reports
that the american chemistry council, which represents the us chemical, plastics and chlorine industries, had a different view of the new study.
“much of the content within trasande et al’s latest study is demonstrably inaccurate,” wrote eileen conneely, acc’s senior director of chemical products and technology.
she added the study ignored the fact that some phthalates have lower toxicity than others and that the safety of high molecular weight phthalates is often ignored.
phthalates are extremely common in consumer products, said cnn, such as pvc plumbing, vinyl flooring, rain- and stain-resistant products, garden hoses, and some children’s toys to make the plastic more flexible and harder to break.
phthalates are found in food packaging, detergents, clothing, furniture and automotive plastics. they are also added to personal care items such as shampoo, soap, hair spray and cosmetics to make fragrances last longer.