Deaths linked to `hormone disruptor' chemical costs billions in lost US productivity

Date:
October 12, 2021
Source:
NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Summary:
Daily exposure chemicals called phthalates, used in the manufacture
of plastic food containers and many cosmetics, may lead to roughly
100,000 premature deaths among older Americans each year, a new
study shows. The resulting annual economic burden is between
$40 billion and $47 billion, a value more than quadruple that of
previous estimates.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Daily exposure chemicals called phthalates, used in the manufacture of
plastic food containers and many cosmetics, may lead to roughly 100,000 premature deaths among older Americans each year, a new study shows. The resulting annual economic burden is between $40 billion and $47 billion,
a value more than quadruple that of previous estimates.


==========================================================================
For decades, phthalates have been shown to pose a potential danger to
human health because the chemicals can interfere with the function of
hormones, signaling compounds made in glands that circulate to influence processes throughout the body, experts say. Exposure is believed to occur through buildup of these toxins as consumer products break down and are ingested, with exposure linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new
investigation of more than 5,000 adults between the ages of 55 and
64 showed that those with the highest concentrations of phthalate in
their urine were more likely to die of heart disease than those with
lesser exposure.

Similarly, Americans in this high-exposure group were more likely to die
of any cause than those in low-exposure groups. However, high levels of
the toxins did not appear to increase risk of death due to cancer.

"Our findings reveal that increased phthalate exposure is linked to early death, particularly due to heart disease," says study lead author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP. "Until now, we have understood that the chemicals
connect to heart disease, and heart disease in turn is a leading cause
of death, but we had not yet tied the chemicals themselves to death."
Trasande cautions that the new study does not establish a direct cause
and effect association between phthalate exposure and early deaths, in
part because the specific biological mechanism that would account for
the connection remains unclear. The study investigators say they plan
to further study the role these chemicals may play in hormone regulation
and inflammation in the body.



========================================================================== However, according to Trasande, the Jim G. Hendrick MD Professor at NYU
Langone Health, the new results add to mounting evidence of societal costs related to continued heavy exposure to the chemicals. For example, past research has linked more than 10,000 deaths a year to lowered testosterone levels in adult men attributed to phthalate exposure. These deaths cost Americans nearly $9 billion in lost economic productivity.

To see if there were similar mortality and economic costs from other
disorders, the new study, publishing online Oct. 12 in the journal Environmental Pollution, was designed to further examine links between phthalate exposure and deaths of all causes in the U.S. and quantify
the resulting economic costs, according to Trasande.

For the investigation, the research team analyzed data including
phthalates found in urine samples obtained from adults who participated
in the U.S.

National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2001 to 2010. The researchers
limited their analysis to those whose cause of death had been tracked
through 2015. In addition, they focused on a subgroup of Americans between
55 and 64, since previous studies had based estimates of phthalate-driven
death in this population. This way, the team could accurately compare
their study results to the prior estimates.

The study investigators also used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database, the U.S. Census Bureau, and
models from earlier studies to estimate the economic cost of early death
for this group.

"Our research suggests that the toll of this chemical on society is
much greater than we first thought," says Trasande, who also serves
as director of the NYU Langone's Center for the Investigation of
Environmental Hazards. "The evidence is undeniably clear that limiting
exposure to toxic phthalates can help safeguard Americans' physical and financial well-being." Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01 ES022972, R01 ES029779, R01 ES032214,
P30 ES000260, and P30 ES005605.

In addition to Trasande, other investigators involved in the study
included Buyun Liu, MD, PhD; and study senior author Wei Bao MD, PhD,
at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by NYU_Langone_Health_/_NYU_Grossman_School_of_Medicine.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Leonardo Trasande, Buyun Liu, Wei Bao. Phthalates and attributable
mortality: A population-based longitudinal cohort study
and cost analysis. Environmental Pollution, 2021 DOI:
10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118021 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211012080113.htm

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