Exposure to a trio of chemicals found in many everyday household and industrial items may have contributed to millions of cases of heart disease, strokes and deaths over the years, according to estimates of health impacts and economics of common plastic additives.
An international team of researchers brought together the results of more than 1,700 existing studies from 38 different countries, investigating the links between people’s exposure to chemicals and certain health impacts.
Researchers say the findings are concerning enough to warrant global action, but critics say we still need conclusive evidence that these chemicals are the real cause.
The suspects in question – BPA (bisphenol A), DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) and PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) – have previously been associated with serious health problems.
The safety of BPA has been in question for some time: prevalent in our food packaging, particularly in the form of epoxy that coats some food and drink cans and bottles, exposure to this compound has been linked to higher rates of ischemic heart disease and stroke. .
This latest study found that 5.4 million cases of ischemic heart disease and 346,000 cases of stroke in 2015 could be associated with BPA exposure. This suggests that BPA exposure could be associated with 431,000 deaths. An estimate of the total economic impact suggests that the resulting loss of health could have cost countries the equivalent of $1 trillion in purchasing power.
DEHP is found in flexible plastics in garden hoses, shower curtains, medical tubing and synthetic leathers.
Animal studies have shown its potential as an endocrine disruptor, affecting pregnancy in mice And puberty in rats. A study published in 2022 found a significant link between increased DEHP metabolites in urine samples from 5,303 US adults and an increased mortality rate. This recent study estimates that 164,000 deaths worldwide could be linked to DEHP exposure, with equivalent economic losses estimated at US$398 billion.
PBDEs are a class of brominated flame retardants controversial behind the advice has throw away your black plastic spatula. Common in materials exposed to high levels of heat, they are also found in electronics, automobile parts, aircraft and some textiles.
They can enter your body through inhalation, skin absorption or through your food – a seemingly unlikely route, but they have appeared in utensils, food packaging and children’s toys made from recycled black plastic.
A correlation between PBDE exposure and intelligence measures suggests aNearly 12 million collective IQ points may have been lost due to maternal exposure to PBDEs.
The cumulative impact seems overwhelming. BPA and DEHP can be eliminated from the body relatively quickly within a few days, but the constant flow of plastics into our lives means we feel little relief from their exposure. The “sticky” nature of PBDE in our body is less obvious, and depends on the specific chemical composition.
“Our reason for quantifying these health effects was to focus on harms associated with three of the best-studied chemicals in plastics and to estimate exposures in as many countries as possible. said Maureen Cropper, economist at the University of Maryland.
All study estimates rely heavily on data from existing observational studies, making causality difficult to confirm. Certain unrelated factors could increase people’s exposure to chemicals as well as their health problems – a diet high in fast food, for example, is said to increase a person’s exposure to plastics and is also known to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Statistician Kevin McConway, who was not involved in the research, urges caution in how the results are interpreted..
“I am not trying to say that these plastics cannot pose significant health risks, only that this research cannot clearly establish the extent to which they cause additional health problems and higher mortality rates. » McConway said.
But Cropper and his team believe there is enough data to warrant global action, even if measurements are needed. much more data on our exposure to these substances. If these plastic additives are indeed making people sick, estimates suggest they may have already killed half a million people.
“Protecting human health from the dangers of chemicals in plastics will require a paradigm shift in national chemical legislation in several countries, including the United States, Canada and the EU.“, the team writingurging plastic producers to shoulder the burden of proof.
This, they note, has been the standard for pharmaceutical regulation since the 1970s.
“This will require a more cautious approach that prioritizes the protection of human health and no longer assumes that chemicals are safe. »
The document is published in PNAS.