Phthalates Linked to More Than 350,000 Deaths Worldwide Each Year: Study

Regions with heavy plastic manufacturing face the highest death rates due to environmental and occupational exposure to phthalates.

Researchers indicate that more than 350,000 global deaths from cardiovascular disease each year could be attributed to exposure to phthalate chemicals, which are often used in the production of plastics.

According to findings  published in the medical journal The Lancet on April 28, individuals living in communities across the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, where plastic production is most concentrated, face significantly higher exposure to phthalates, increasing their risk of cardiovascular-related deaths.

Phthalates are synthetic chemicals often used to make plastic softer and more pliable. They are found in a wide range of items from toys and food packaging to soaps, shampoos, hair sprays and cosmetics.

However, exposure to phthalates has raised serious health concerns in recent years, due to their ability to disrupt the endocrine system, which regulates hormones in the body.

Research has also linked phthalates to a number of reproductive issues, including reduced fertility, hormonal imbalances and developmental problems in children, including babies’ brain development. Some studies even suggest connections between phthalates and increased risks of obesity, asthma, certain cancers and cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

The new study, which was conducted by a team of researchers from New York University, used the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s cardiovascular mortality data, coupled with regional estimates from multiple sources for di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) exposure. DEHP is a kind of phthalate.

The research team, led by Sara Hyman, calculated mortality and years of life lost due to cardiovascular disease from DEHP exposure for all countries across the globe.

Hyman found that 356,238, or 13.47% of global cardiovascular disease deaths could be attributed to exposure to DEHP in 2018. Of those deaths, 349,113 could be attributed to plastic use, accounting for a global loss of 10.47 million years of life.

The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, which are regions where most plastics are produced, accounted for 73% of all global cardiovascular disease deaths from DEHP, with the Middle East and South Asia bearing the brunt of those fatalities.

“Plastics pose a significant risk to increased cardiovascular mortality, disproportionately impacting regions which have developing plastic production sectors,” Hyman said. “The findings underscore the need for urgent global and local regulatory interventions to kerb mortality from DEHP exposure.”

In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied a citizen petition seeking a national ban on phthalates. The petition was brought by environmental group Earthjustice, indicating that there was “overwhelming evidence” phthalates in food were causing life-altering damage to human health.

However, the FDA reasoned that although prior studies may have identified “possible effects” the chemicals could have on the human body, that did not mean they were unsafe under the intended conditions of use approved by the agency.