Apart from being really difficult to pronounce, are these things harmful? Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds that are mainly used for increasing the flexibility of plastic. Now think about your home- how many things do you use are encased in flexible plastic?
Phthalates have become controversial in the past few years because studies have shown that high doses of many phthalates have shown hormonal activity in rodent studies. Studies on rodents involving large amounts of phthalates have shown damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and developing testes. In an August 2005 study by Barrett JR. Environ Health Perspect, it showed that mothers had elevated levels of phthalate residues in their urine leading to the study title, “Phthalates and Baby Boys: Potential Disruption of Human Genital Development.”
In 2004 – a joint Swedish-Danish research team found a very strong link between allergies in children and the phthalates although a study by Children’s National Medical Center and George Washington University found no adverse effects in adolescents who had been exposed to phthalates as neonates.
An ongoing study (Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 2007) has shown correlations between three phthalate metabolites correlate and cellular resistance to insulin, a precursor to Type II Diabetes, which may be partly to blame for the rise in diabetes worldwide. (So it’s not just the food! It’s the darn plastic its put into …)
