[font face=Serif][font size=5]Safer Replacements for Harmful Chemical in Plastics May Be as Risky to Human Health, Studies Suggest[/font]
[font size=4]NYU Langone Medical Center Researchers Call for Stronger Regulations & More Testing[/font]
July 8, 2015 (4:00PM)
[font size=3]According to a new series of studies out of NYU Langone Medical Center, two chemicals increasingly used during manufacturing to strengthen plastic wrap, soap, cosmetics, and processed food containers have been linked to a rise in risk of high blood pressure and diabetes in children and adolescents.
The compounds, di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), are both in a class of chemicals known as phthalates. Ironically, the two chemicals were used as replacements for another chemical, di-2-ethylhexylphlatate, or DEHP, which the same researchers proved in previous research to have similar adverse effects.
Our research adds to growing concerns that environmental chemicals might be independent contributors to insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure and other metabolic disorders, says study lead investigator Leonardo Trasande, MD, an associate professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine, and population health at NYU Langone.
Trasande says the series of studies are believed to be the first to examine potential health risks from DEHP replacements. In the most recent one,
described in the journal Hypertension online July 8, the investigators report a significant association between high blood pressure and the presence of DINP and DIDP levels in study subjects. Specifically, they say, for every tenfold increase in the amount of phthalates consumed, there was a 1.1 millimeters of mercury increase in blood pressure.
[/font][/font]