A report published on Tuesday (12 October) in Environmental Pollution has identified a link between phthalate exposure and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The research states that, in a sample representative of the US population, the associated risks to mortality accrued societal costs of more than USD $39 billion per annum.
The study sampled 5303 adults over the age of 20 across the USA, who had previously participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2010 and provided urine samples for phthalate metabolite measurements. Participants were linked to mortality data from the date of the survey to 31 December 2015, with data analyses conducted in July 2020.
The researchers call for urgent regulatory action to resolve the issue. They also outline a need for further studies on the topic to corroborate observations and identify mechanisms, the issue having previously been identified as an under-researched area.
The full study can be read on the Science Direct website.