A chemical compound from the phthalate class, which is used in the manufacture of plastic food containers and medical instruments, was linked to 356 deaths from heart disease in older people in 2018.
Phthalates have already been linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, infertility and cancer. Since the studies were only conducted in older people, the overall number of deaths linked to phthalates may be even higher. Research published in the journal EBioMedicine.
Because phthalates can increase the risk of obesity, which in itself is harmful to the heart, and have also been shown in cell studies to be able to cause oxidative stress, researchers decided to study the link between them and cardiovascular disease.
Scientists have investigated how the degree of contact with diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in different countries, previously calculated by other researchers, and the rate of death from heart disease in those countries. The researchers found that high levels of exposure to the phthalate in the environment were associated with more than 13 percent of deaths from heart disease among people aged 55-64.
The phthalate's impact was greatest in the Middle East, South and East Asia and the Pacific. These regions accounted for three-quarters of the heart disease deaths that scientists attribute to DEHP exposure. The country with the most such deaths was India, with more than 100 deaths attributed to the phthalate. This, as in the other two countries with the highest number of DEHP-related deaths, China and Indonesia, is thought to be due to higher levels of exposure to the phthalate due to increased plastic production and less stringent regulations on its manufacture.
Although India and China are the two most populous countries, even after accounting for this factor, DEHP-related heart disease deaths were still higher in these countries than in other countries. And while the link between the phthalate and cardiovascular disease deaths does not mean that it causes them, it does argue in favor of imposing stricter restrictions on its use in plastics, especially food-grade plastics.
Thank you for being with us! Monobank for the support of the ElitExpert editorial office.
