United States: one in ten premature births are linked to phthalates, according to a study
One in ten babies born prematurely in the United States is associated with exposure of pregnant women to phthalates, according to an American study published Wednesday February 7 in
The Lancet Planetary Health
. These compounds are very common, especially in plastics. Researchers also highlight the significant medical and social costs of this phenomenon.
According to researchers, nearly 56,600 premature births could be linked to phthalate exposure in 2018, or about 10% of premature births in the United States. © Getty Images/Karl Tapales
By: RFI Follow
Advertisement
Read more
Phthalates include a whole family of chemicals used in plastics to soften them and increase their flexibility. They can also be used as solvents in products as varied as cosmetic care, construction materials, textiles or even children's toys.
In their study
published in
The Lancet Planetary Health,
scientists analyzed the urine of more than 5,000 pregnant women in the
United States
. Results: Those with the highest phthalate levels had a 50% increased risk of giving birth prematurely, compared to women with the lowest phthalate levels.
Read alsoEnvironment: many pollutants present in the body of the French
Births at risk
This is not a coincidence, according to the researchers. They recall that these molecules disrupt the functioning of human metabolism and affirm that phthalates “
can precipitate labor
” and promote “
premature births
”, the main author of the study, Dr Leonardo Trasande, told AFP. from New York University Langone Medical Center.
And extrapolating these findings to the entire U.S. population, they estimate that nearly 56,600 premature births could be linked to phthalate exposure in 2018, or about 10% of premature births in the country. Births particularly at risk.
The resulting medical and social costs would be between $1.6 and $8.1 billion.
Also read: Prematurity: no notable progress in the world for a decade
Replacement phthalates with even more health effects
Although the study was carried out in the United States, Leonardo Trasande estimated, given the omnipresence of phthalates, that 5 to 10% of premature births in most other countries could be linked to these chemicals.
For the researcher, more than three quarters of exposure to phthalates comes from plastics. But “
plastic producers do not pay for the health effects, they do not take care of these premature babies
,” he stressed. Awareness of the potential danger of phthalates, particularly DEHP, has led some plastic manufacturers to attempt to replace them with other compounds from the same chemical group. “
Even more frightening
” in this new study, “
replacement phthalates are associated with even greater effects than DEHP
,” according to Leonardo Trasande.
Also listen Premature births: how to explain them?
This work cannot prove a causal link between phthalates and prematurity, but “
an overwhelming number of observational studies support this hypothesis
,” Stephanie Eick, an expert in reproductive health at the University of Texas, told AFP. California and who did not participate in the research.
A meta-analysis carried out by American researchers and published in 2022 in the journal
JAMA Pediatrics
noted that a high level of exposure of pregnant women to phthalates was associated with an increased risk of prematurity of 12% to 16% depending on the type. phthalate.
(
With
AFP)
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Health and medicine
Research
Women
Environment