What we know about phthats in plastic and heart disease

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Messages created this week in the alarming header: Studies have shown that joint chemicals in plastic were associated with 350,000 deaths of heart disease around the world in 2018.

The statistics came from the study Published on Monday at the Ebiomedicine journal. The authors, a group of researchers from Grossman School of Medicine at the Fresh York University, estimated that about 13 percent of cardiovascular deaths among 55-64-year-olds around the world can be attributed to phthators that are used in food packaging, shampoo, toys and more.

Research on the influence of phthalates on cardiovascular disease is still appearing, but their connection with metabolic risk factors, such as obesity, suggests that they can play a role in heart disease.

While experts agree that the phthats are harmful, they warned that the study based on convoluted statistical modeling and a series of assumptions and estimates that make it complex to determine how many deaths may be associated with chemicals.

“This is an early step involving understanding the size of the problem,” said Dr. Mark Huffman, a cardiologist and co-director Global Health Center in Washu Medicine in St. Louis. He added, however, that he needs much more research to understand the relationship between phthators and heart health and what other factors can enter.

Background

The phthalates are found in personal hygiene products, such as shampoos and balms, as well as in containers for food and packaging. It is possible to eat them by food, absorb them through the skin from products containing it or breathe as dust.

Studies have shown that phthalates are hormonal disorders, which means that they can interfere with our hormones. They were associated with a negative impact on reproductive health, pregnancy and birth problems.

Some studies have shown a relationship between phthats and cardiovascular diseases, but there is no powerful evidence that chemicals directly cause heart problems, said Sung Kyun Park, a professor of epidemiology and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

There is evidence that phthats enhance the risk of metabolic disorders such as type 2 obesity and diabetes, which can cause cardiovascular diseases.

One of the ways in which the phthators can do this is to enhance oxidative stress – damage to cells and tissues that take place when there are too many unstable particles in the body – and promoting inflammation, said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, senior author of the modern article and professor of pediatrics and health of the population in nyu in nyu

Test

In the latest study, scientists tried to estimate global cardiovascular deaths attributed specifically to one type of phthalate, known as DEHP. One of the most commonly used and tested phthalates, DEHP is found in vinyl products, including tablecloths, shower curtains and floors.

Researchers based on estimates from previous research on several measures: phthalate exposure, risk of such exposure to cardiovascular deaths and global burden on cardiovascular disease. Dr. Trasande said that they then calculated the participation of deaths related to the exposure of phthalates in various countries. The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia and Pacific constituted almost three quarters of these deaths.

Limitations

It was an observation study that showed a correlation between the estimated exposure to chemicals and the disease at the population level. Experts found that the methods used were not unusual in research that model a global disease, but such studies have reservations.

For example, Dr. Huffman said that estimates from literature, on which the authors relied in their calculations, can take into account some prejudices or misleading variables, such as socio -economic status or dietary behavior, which can refer both to exposure to plastics, as in the scope of cardiovascular disease.

“A very significant part of the model’s result is what you put into the model,” said Dr. Huffman.

The study also consisted of prior analysis of Dr. Trasande in order to estimate the risk of cardiovascular death due to the exposure of phthalate, after controlling other known risk factors. But this paper They only studied patients from the US, which means that it may not be possible to generalize the results for a global population, in which eating habits, exposure to cigarette smoke, physical activity and other cardiovascular risk factors may differ.

What next

Experts say that in the study it is clear that we need more research on exposure to phthalates and related health hazards. Although performing a classic randomized study would be ethically impossible and impractical, in which one group of people was exposed to phthalates, and others were not observed for many years, other types of research could facilitate more clearly determine the relationship.

Dr. Park said that scientists recruit a huge, representative sample of patients, measures their level of exposure and follow them for years, perhaps until death. Dr. Huffman suggested that it is also worth trying strategies that can reduce exposure levels and then measure any changes in health results.

Tracey Woodruff, director of the reproductive health and environment at the University of California in San Francisco, said that despite the uncertainty in the estimates of the current article, it is clear that phthans can enhance the risk of premature delivery, reproductive problems and metabolic disorders. For her, the arrangements only add lists of reasons for which the value of phthalates in the supply chain.