The chemicals used to make plastic containers for water, food and cosmetics, known as phthalates, are believed to be responsible for nearly 60,000 premature births each year in the United States.
Researchers at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine estimate that about 10 percent of all premature births in 2018 involved chemicals known to disrupt the body’s hormones, which are used to make plastics more flexible and durable.
The study found that the top 10 percent of pregnant women with the highest levels of phthalates in their blood were twice as likely to deliver their babies before 37 weeks.
A premature baby is born before the 37th week, while a full-term pregnancy is thought to be between 39 and 40 weeks.
While women can avoid alcohol and sushi during pregnancy, phthalates are virtually impossible to avoid, earning them the nickname “chemicals everywhere.”
Exposure to the chemicals in the womb can wreak havoc on a developing baby’s endocrine system, causing him or her to have an imbalance in sex and thyroid hormones, as well as problems with their motor skills and developmental delays later in life.
The latest study from researchers at New York University shows that daily exposure to phthalates, chemicals used in the production of plastic food packaging and many cosmetics, may be linked to nearly 56,600 premature births in the US in 2018.
Phthalates are considered endocrine disruptors due to their harmful effects on the body’s natural hormone balance.
Babies are exposed in the womb when phthalates in the mother’s blood pass through the placenta to the fetus, and the consequences of that exposure range from low weight at birth to memory and learning problems later in childhood.
Phthalates have a relatively short half-life, meaning they are broken down in the body within hours, unlike PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” which are also found in plastic but remain in the body for much longer.
But like PFAS, phthalates are in hundreds of products, including vinyl flooring, shower curtains, toys, food packaging, cosmetics and cleaning products, so exposure to them is constant.
For the study, NYU researchers used data from the Environmental Influences on Childhood Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, a National Institutes of Health-led research initiative, to examine the effects of various environmental, social and economic factors on children’s health and ways to improve it.
They tested urine samples from pregnant women at three different times during their pregnancy, measuring 20 different metabolites, or end products of the body’s digestion of the chemicals.
They also compared specific types of phthalate, including di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is commonly found in IV bags and other medical devices.
The researchers then looked for links between the levels of those metabolites and premature births.
When they grouped mothers by the amount of DEHP metabolites in their urine, the 10 percent with the highest concentrations were 50 percent more likely to deliver their babies before 37 weeks.
While we are just two weeks away from what is considered a full-term pregnancy, a baby’s brain, lungs and liver continue to develop. Being born prematurely – especially before the 32nd week – can increase a baby’s risk for numerous health problems both immediately and in the long term.
Researchers also found that the risk of preterm birth was doubled for women exposed to the highest amounts of commonly used alternatives to DEHP found in cable wires, children’s toys, medical tubing and straws, compared to women who had little to no exposure.
Studies have suggested that when phthalates cross the placenta, they affect fetal thyroid function, slowing a baby’s growth into early childhood. The chemicals have also been linked to learning delays, behavioral problems and asthma in children exposed in the womb
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an overall increasing trend in premature and early births
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a top researcher on the effects of the environment on children’s health and author of the study, said: ‘These results demonstrate the need to regulate phthalates as a class rather than trying to target them one by one. to grab.
“Otherwise, in a few years, researchers will likely find the same research results about the next group of chemicals used as a replacement.”
Preterm birth rates are generally increasing, and the ubiquity of environmental pollutants such as phthalates and forever chemicals may play a role.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy, increased 12 percent from 2014 to 2022, from 7.7 percent to 8.7 percent.
Preliminary CDC data shows that 3.66 million babies were born in 2022, meaning 318,400 of those children were born prematurely.
More and more research shows that phthalates act as endocrine disrupting chemicals, meaning they mimic or disrupt hormones in the body.
Research has shown that when phthalates cross the placenta, the thyroid function of the fetus is affected. slowing down a baby’s growth until early childhood.
In addition to increasing the risk of preterm birth, exposure in utero has been linked to cases of preterm labor asthma in childrenbehavioral problems and cognitive delays.
A 2018 study of more than 1,300 Swedish and American children found that higher levels of phthalate exposure in the womb increase the child’s chance of developing communication and language delays.
Children whose mothers had double exposure to two types of phthalates were 30 percent more likely understand fewer than 50 words, the threshold for language delay.
And prenatal exposure to DEHP has been shown to affect a child’s behavior, with potentially long-lasting consequences.
A report published in 2023 in the journal Neurotoxicology According to data from 24 months of age, boys with increased prenatal exposure to phthalates, as indicated by higher levels in the mother’s urine, had greater problems with social skills.
These included increased emotional reactivity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, withdrawal from social interactions and behavioral problems compared to children who had lower prenatal phthalate exposure.
As mounting evidence shows the serious negative effects of phthalates on both adults and unborn babies, dozens of scientists are calling for their elimination from all consumer products.
They teamed up with health professionals and child health advocates to form Project TENDR, which stands for Targeting Environmental Neuro-Development Risks.
Stephanie Engel, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and member of the group, said: ‘There are now dozens of studies from countries around the world finding adverse associations between phthalate exposure and multiple aspects of brain development, including effects on behavior, cognitive function and even the microstructure of the brain’s white matter.
“There is no compelling reason to continue waiting for more evidence when phthalates can be eliminated in most applications.”