{"id":381224,"date":"2026-04-08T10:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/381224\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T10:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:48:11","slug":"millions-of-preterm-births-were-linked-to-plastic-chemicals-in-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/381224\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions of Preterm Births Were Linked to Plastic Chemicals in New Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated4 min read\"Caret<\/p>\n

A new study published in eClinicalMedicine looks at exposure to phthalates and the global incidence of preterm births.<\/p>\n

Researchers found that DEHP and DiNP exposure were each estimated to contribute to around two million premature births worldwide.<\/p>\n

Experts don\u2019t know the exact reasoning behind this, but believe that environmental exposure may play a large part.<\/p>\n

In recent years, there\u2019s been growing attention to plastics and their impact on health\u2014and for good reason. Whether it\u2019s microplastics<\/a>, nanoplastics<\/a>, or plastic household items themselves<\/a>, researchers and consumers alike are eager to understand the long-term effects of living in a world full of the stuff. Now, there\u2019s a new study that suggests exposure to phthalates, a group of chemicals that make some plastics flexible, were estimated to contribute to millions of preterm births across the globe.<\/p>\n

The study, which was published in eClinicalMedicine<\/a>, a Lancet journal, looked at the relationship between exposure to certain types of phthalates and preterm birth<\/a>. Preterm birth is any birth that happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy. These kinds of births come with a risk of health complications for the baby, including death, making this a serious concern.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s behind this link and, more importantly, what can you do about it? We tapped an ob-gyn and a toxicologist for more.<\/p>\n

Meet the experts: Daniel J. Martingano, DO<\/a>, an ob-gyn at Episcopal Health Services, and Jamie Alan, PhD<\/a>, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n

What did the study find?<\/p>\n

For the study, researchers estimated exposure to di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) in 2018 across 200 countries and territories by looking at national surveys. DEHP is part of a group of chemicals called phthalates, which can show up in makeup, detergents, bug repellents, and many other household products you regularly come into contact with.<\/p>\n

The researchers then looked at previous research that examined how phthalate exposure may affect preterm birth and combined that with their estimates. From there, they looked at worldwide figures on preterm births and deaths to see what percentage of those could be linked to DEHP.<\/p>\n

After analyzing the data, the team estimated that DEHP exposure contributed to about 1.97 million premature births in 2018. That\u2019s more than 8 percent of the total premature births in the world. The researchers also linked DEHP exposure with the deaths of 74,000 newborns.<\/p>\n

From there, the researchers looked at another phthalate called diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), which is commonly used as a substitute for DEHP. They found that DiNP was estimated to have contributed to about 1.88 million preterm births around the world. Because the study looked at global data, the researchers were also able to hone in on what areas seemed to be the most affected. They noted that \u201cburden was estimated to be disproportionate in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why would some plasticizers be linked to preterm birth?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not entirely clear, but there are a few theories. Phthalates \u201ccause problems by infiltrating tissues, inducing chronic inflammation, and releasing chemical additives that disrupt metabolic and reproductive systems,\u201d says Daniel J. Martingano, DO<\/a>, an ob-gyn at Episcopal Health Services.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese compounds are known endocrine disruptors, which may be a possible explanation,\u201d adds Jamie Alan, PhD<\/a>, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n

But the inflammation caused by these plasticizers seems to play a big role, Martingano says. \u201cThe immune response is responsible for breaking down foreign material or dealing with pathogens,\u201d he says. \u201cWith phthalates, the immune system, specifically macrophages, are unable to completely break them down, leading to a sustained response\u2014chronic inflammation.\u201d<\/p>\n

When this happens in the placenta\u2014the temporary organ that grows during pregnancy to support the baby\u2014it could \u201cplausibly\u201d trigger preterm labor, Martingano says.<\/p>\n

How concerning is this if you\u2019re not pregnant and don\u2019t plan to be?<\/p>\n

Even if you aren\u2019t pregnant and never plan to be, phthalates aren\u2019t something you want in your body. \u201cThese chemicals can still have effects on human health,\u201d Alan says. \u201cEven if you do not want to be pregnant, these chemicals could still have health consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martingano agrees. \u201cBecause DEHP induces a chronic inflammatory state, it can pose health risks beyond preterm labor, albeit by the same mechanism,\u201d he says. \u201cCardiovascular disease<\/a> is a significant disease where DEHP has a strong association, which can affect all women.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to reduce your exposure to phthalates<\/p>\n

Martingano stresses this: The study didn\u2019t conclusively determine that exposure to plasticizers causes preterm birth. Instead, it found a link.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s helpful to do what you can to lower your exposure whenever possible. Alan recommends storing your food in glass containers, since glass contains no phthalates. It\u2019s also a good idea to try and use toothbrushes<\/a> labeled \u201cphthalate-free,\u201d and to avoid microwaving food in plastic containers, according to the National Institutes of Health<\/a> (NIH).<\/p>\n

Environmental exposure may also play a role. \u201cI would expect that some of the exposure is from plastic pollution,\u201d says Alan, adding that in the regions the study authors noted were disproportionately affected, her guess is that drinking water and food sources are potentially contaminated.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, just do your best. \u201cDEHP always remains as an association with diseases rather than a direct cause, making it likely that DEHP worsens an already present abnormal health status,\u201d Martingano says. This \u201cshould offer reassurance to both pregnant and non-pregnant women that if they maintain an otherwise healthy lifestyle, DEHP exposure in and of itself is unlikely to cause disease development,\u201d Martingano says.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men\u2019s Health, Women\u2019s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master\u2019s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Carina Hsieh, MPH, is the deputy features editor of Women\u2019s Health. She has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience working in media and has covered everything from beauty, fashion, travel, lifestyle, pets, to health.<\/p>\n

She began her career as an intern in the fashion closet at Cosmopolitan where she worked her way up to Senior Sex & Relationships Editor. While covering women\u2019s health there, she discovered her passion for health service journalism and took a break to get her Masters in Public Health. Post-grad school, she worked as a freelance writer and as The Daily Beast\u2019s first Beauty, Health, and Wellness Reporter.<\/p>\n

Carina is an alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Yale School of Public Health. She and her French Bulldog, Bao Bao, split their time between Brooklyn and Connecticut. She enjoys reformer Pilates, (slow) running, and smelling the fancy toiletries in boutique fitness class locker rooms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"4 min read A new study published in eClinicalMedicine looks at exposure to phthalates and the global incidence…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":381225,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[635,182336,637,163,85,46,182337,1975,154379,182335],"class_list":{"0":"post-381224","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-content-type-news","9":"tag-contentid-ed302e2c-9571-48c9-8f7c-7f25691703df","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-listen_time-356","15":"tag-locale-us","16":"tag-read_time-4","17":"tag-shorttitle-phthalate-exposure-is-linked-to-preterm-birth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}