Phthalates in plastic products can harm fetal brains

Phthalates in plastic products can harm fetal brains, US experts call for a complete ban.  According to a report on the CNN website, an organization of scientists and health experts in the United States warned that all kinds of plastic products in daily life contain phthalates, which are harmful to the brain development of fetuses and infants. This chemical should be banned as soon as possible.

The US TENDR project team is a group of scientists, health professionals, and child health advocates that are committed to reducing children’s exposure to neurotoxic chemicals. Project team member Stephanie Engel, professor of epidemiology at the Gillians School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that phthalates can make plastics more flexible and less fragile, so they are very common in daily life.

Approximately 8.4 million tons of phthalates are used in the world each year to make various products, various food packaging, detergents, vinyl flooring, clothing, furniture, shower curtains in the family; plastic products, lubricants and Adhesives; rainproof and antifouling products; shampoo, soap, hair spray, nail polish, etc., all contain phthalates. Polyvinyl chloride pipes, construction products, medical supplies, garden hoses, and children’s toys also contain phthalates. At present, the United States has restrictions on the content of 8 phthalate derivatives in children’s toys and other children’s products, but there is very little supervision of other products.

Previous studies have shown that phthalates are related to childhood obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, as well as reproductive problems such as childhood genital abnormalities and low sperm counts and low testosterone levels in adult men.

Engel recently published an article in the American Journal of Public Health with particular attention to the link between phthalate exposure and long-term neurodevelopmental damage to fetuses, infants, and children. The report pointed out that as of 2019, there have been more than 30 studies from 11 countries around the world, investigating the situation of women’s exposure to different types of phthalates from prenatal to children after birth. The results show that phthalate exposure is strongly associated with children’s ADHD symptoms such as aggressiveness, provocation, emotional overreaction, illegal behavior, and other attention deficits.

Studies have pointed out that mothers with the highest levels of phthalates in their urine in the second trimester are three times more likely to have ADHD in their children than mothers with low levels. Children exposed to higher levels of phthalates in the womb have an IQ that is 7% lower than other children, and their perceptual reasoning and language comprehension abilities are also lower.

David Bellinger, professor of neurology and psychology at Boston Children’s Hospital, added that phthalates are different from toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. They are metabolized very quickly and will not remain in the human body. However, once the fetus comes into contact with toxic chemicals in the womb, it has already caused damage to the brain. Our current research can only focus on symptoms such as behavioral disorders, decreased concentration, and decreased learning ability. It is difficult to study the specific pathological effects of phthalates on children’s neurodevelopment.

Engel called for the elimination of all types of phthalates in products that women of childbearing age, pregnant women, babies and children often come into contact with for the safety of children. He said that there are various derivatives of phthalates, and it is impossible for us to ban one, and let another derivative that has not been fully studied circulate, just like “beating hamsters.” In the above, whether it is the original or new derivative products, each of them may have problems, but the latter is more.

Of course, banning a chemical raw material requires a huge cost, but its current application has already brought serious losses, and families, medical systems, and schools are bearing the cost of childhood diseases. In fact, it is not impossible to eliminate the first class of chemicals. Apple has almost banned phthalates in all products, while CVS and Depot have also reduced the phthalates in beauty products, personal care products, household products and vinyl flooring. The amount of diformate used.

At present, more and more medical associations have questioned the health effects of plasticizers such as phthalates. The petition has been supported by 11 groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the Center for Food Safety. Bellinger called for the public to play an important role in product changes in addition to regulatory agencies. Previously, mothers united to require large companies to remove the hormone disruptor bisphenol A from baby bottles and children’s drinking cups and achieved key results. In March 2009, six large baby bottle manufacturers responded to the requirements of the American Chemistry Council to eliminate bisphenol A in their products. Bisphenol A ingredients.

Therefore, it is an effective way for consumers to vote with their wallets. For example, do we really require all tablecloths and carpets to be completely stain-proof in our lives? Can we bring a glass lunch box when we go out to eat instead of using the hotel’s foam or coated paper containers? A little adjustment may bring about a huge change.

(source:internet, reference only)

Disclaimer of medicaltrend.org