Poison packaging: Study links phthalate plasticizers to 100,000 US deaths and US$47BN losses annually

15 Oct 2021 --- Phthalate chemicals used as plasticizers in common F&B and cosmetic packaging could be causing over 100,000 deaths annually in the US alone, according to new research. 

The study, published in Environmental Pollution, also estimates the healthcare impact and loss of life – associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) – could be costing the US up to US$47 billion each year. 

Phthalates are used to increase the flexibility, durability and longevity of plastics. Known as “everywhere chemicals” due to their frequent use in packaging materials, the study authors suggest daily exposure to phthalates is increasing obesity, diabetes and heart disease rates.

“Until now, we have understood 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,” lead author Leonardo Trasando comments, calling for further research to establish the exact biological mechanism through which the chemicals cause CVD. 

Decades of research 
The potential dangers of phthalates have been established for decades through research demonstrating their role as endocrine disruptors. Exposure has been shown to decrease sexual desire and satisfaction in women and produce malformed genitalia in rats. 

Phthalates exposure is linked to diabetes and heart disease.The new study, conducted at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, US, is the first to produce evidence of the direct connection between phthalate exposure and premature mortality. 

Researchers used data from 5303 adults aged 20 years or older who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2001 and 2010.

Each participant provided urine samples for phthalate metabolite measurements, which were then linked to mortality data collected until the end of 2015. Data analyses were conducted in July 2020. 

The CVD mortality rate was found to significantly increase in relation to elevated levels of phthalates. Extrapolated to the population of 55 to 64-year-old US adults in the trial, the researchers found between 90,761 and 107,283 attributable deaths and US$39.9 billion to US$47.1 billion in lost economic productivity.

Chemical concerns
The findings join a host of scientific evidence recently emerging on the health threats packaging chemicals are posing to consumers. 

Recently, environmental campaigners have made ground in pushing legislation against the use of “forever chemicals” – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – commonly used for barrier properties in fiber-based packaging. 

Blanket bans have been enforced in six US states, following a stream of evidence demonstrating PFAS can cause cancer and poison natural environments. 

This week, the French competition authority issued objections to 101 companies, along with 14 trade associations, over allegedly agreeing not to communicate over the removal of bisphenol A (BPA) in their metal food packaging. BPA is linked to damage to the brain and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. 

Nestlé subsidiaries in France were among the accused. 

Similarly, environmental and reproductive epidemiologist Shanna Swan recently published a body of research on the long-term impact of exposure to BPA and phthalates. She warns the majority of people may need to use assisted reproduction techniques by 2045 due to hormonal damage. 

By Louis Gore-Langton