Excerpt:
Researchers estimate that exposure to phthalates contributes to 13 percent of all heart disease deaths in people between ages 55 and 64 each year worldwide…
A set of chemicals found in food packaging, plastics, and lotions and shampoos has been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths from heart disease, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal eBioMedicine.
These chemicals, known as phthalates (pronounced tha-lates), were responsible for more than 350,000 deaths worldwide in 2018, researchers found. About 75 percent of the deaths were in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific — reflecting growing concern about the amount of plastic proliferating in developing countries.
Phthalates are a set of chemicals that are added to plastic to make it more stretchy, soft or flexible. In lotions, shampoos and perfumes, phthalates can be used to retain scents. But the chemicals — which are so common that some researchers call them “everywhere chemicals” — have attracted widespread concern from scientists.
In epidemiological studies, phthalates have been linked to male fertility problems, heart disease, obesity and ADHD. The United States allows nine kinds of phthalates to be used in food packaging. They are an example of what scientists call “endocrine-disrupting chemicals,” which can tweak and change the hormones in the body, causing multiple health problems.
“We already know that phthalates are toxic chemicals,” said Tracey Woodruff, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive health at the University of California at San Francisco, who was not involved in the study. In recent years, she pointed out, scientists and environmental organizations have pushed lawmakers to get phthalates out of food packaging and other plastics. “This just shows why that’s a good idea,” Woodruff added…
