Chemicals in some plastic items behind increase 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 according to a study published in the journal Lancet eBiomedicine on TuesdayResearchers at New York University Langone Health said that the chemicals called phthalates are in widespread use globallyPhthalates 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 cancerThe new study focused on a kind of phthalate called di2ethylhexyl phthalate DEHP which is used to make food containers medical equipment and other plastic softer and more flexiblePrevious studies linked their exposure with an overactive immune response inflammation in the heartrsquos arteries which can potentially lead to heart attack or strokeHowever the new analysis estimated that DEHP exposure contributed to 356238 deaths or more than 13 per cent of all global mortality from heart disease in 2018 among men and women ages 55 through 64ldquoBy 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 healthrdquo said lead author Sara Hyman an associate research scientist at NYU Grossman School of MedicineFor 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 additiveThe Middle East South Asia East Asia and the Pacific bore a much larger share of the death toll than others about threefourths of the totalIt 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 explainedldquoOur results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialisation and plastic consumptionrdquo said Leonardo Trasande from NYU GrossmanTrasande stated that the overall death toll from heart disease connected to these chemicals is likely much higherThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params