Phthalates
Over the past ten years, the Center’s research has shown that exposure beginning in the womb to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from traffic-related air pollution, pesticides in common home pest control products, and pest allergens in the home can result in asthma and other respiratory symptoms, delays in cognitive development, and changes at the molecular level that could increase children’s cancer risk. More recently, we have been examining the health effects of pre-natal and early-life exposure to chemicals commonly found in plastics, such as phthalates.
What We Know About Phthalates
Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastics in many consumer products, including children’s toys and plastic containers. They can also be found in personal care products like perfumes. Phthalates can seep out of these products, which has resulted in frequent exposure. They can also cross the placenta and expose developing children. Other studies have shown that phthalates can disrupt the endocrine system, which is the body’s system of regulating hormones. CCCEH has been assessing the relationship between phthalate exposure during pregnancy and gestational age at delivery among its cohort of women and children living in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.
To date, Center investigators have found considerable phthalate exposures during pregnancy among the cohort. Phthalates were detected in 99% to 100% of maternal personal air samples. Two or more of the phthalate metabolites under investigation were detected in 100% of urine samples. Metabolites levels were generally higher among the CCCEH cohort women than among women of reproductive age (18-40 years) sampled through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Investigators have also found that prenatal exposure to the phthalate DEHP was associated with shorter gestation. Given inconsistencies with prior findings in other study populations, however, these results should be interpreted with caution and additional research is warranted.
The Center has also begun to investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA), another chemical commonly found in plastics that has been linked in other studies to endocrine disruption.
Resources
More information about how to buy safe plastics:
More information about non-toxic toys: