These chemical compounds, which are found in everyday foods and objects, are considered adductive health disruptors for health.
Le Monde with AFP
The presence of chemical compounds, called phthalates, in plastics, and found in food and objects of everyday life (food, clothing, cosmetics, toys …), could cause premature death each year of 100 000 Americans aged 55 to 64, according to a study made public, Tuesday, October 12.
These phthalates are considered adductive endocrine disruptors for health, but the direct link between exposure to these products and deaths from cardiovascular diseases or cancers in the United States had not yet been established. Some way, indicates the study of the Grossman Medical School of the University of New York, published in the Environmental Pollution journal.
The researchers analyzed the effects of phthalate exposure on a population of 5,303 adults over 20 years old. The biological study and analyzes (including urine) of the participants took place between 2001 and 2010, before mortality statistics were disobedy until the end of 2015. Data analyzes were extracted in July 2020 .
“Act urgently”
In “extrapolating [results] at the age group of the US population aged 55 to 64, we identified 90,761 to 107,283 attributable deaths” to phthalate exposure, explains the study.
“Our conclusions show that the greater exposure to phthalates is linked to a premature death, in particular heart disease,” said one of the authors, Leonardo Trasande, cited in a statement.
“So far, we knew that chemicals caused cardiovascular diseases, which are one of the first causes of death. But we had not yet directly linked these chemicals to mortality,” said the scientist From the University of New York, a signatory to these work with two colleagues from the University of Iowa, Buyun Liu and Wei Bao.
Researchers also calculated the economic cost of these premature deaths for the United States, in terms of loss of productivity: “from $ 39.9 to $ 47.1 billion a year” (34.5 to 40, 8 billion euros), according to them. “Further studies should corroborate these observations and identify mechanisms [at work], but regulatory authorities must act urgently,” pleads the University of New York’s study.