Overview
- The NYU Langone team, whose paper appeared Tuesday in eClinicalMedicine, modeled 2018 exposures and birth outcomes across about 200 countries using national surveys and earlier estimates where data were missing.
- Researchers estimated that DEHP, a phthalate used to make plastics flexible, was associated with about 1.97 million preterm births and 74,000 newborn deaths worldwide in 2018.
- A similar analysis for DiNP, a common replacement for DEHP, suggested about 1.88 million preterm births linked to exposure.
- The study concentrated the largest estimated burdens in the Middle East and South Asia at roughly 54% of illness from DEHP-linked preterm birth, with Africa at about 26% and a disproportionate share of newborn deaths.
- Authors stressed the modeling does not prove direct causation and carries wide uncertainty, while calling for class-wide oversight of phthalates as the American Chemistry Council pointed to an EPA evaluation that found no unreasonable risk for DiNP.