Two compounds, DINP and DIDP, have replaced the banned chemicals, even though research shows they have similar adverse effects as DEHP.
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has more about phthalates. Unfortunately, these safer chemicals aren’t necessarily as safe as plastics manufacturers wanted you to think they were.
“Our research adds to growing concerns that environmental chemicals might be independent contributors to insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure and other metabolic disorders”, said one of the study authors, Dr. Leonardo Trasande. On the other hand, one out of four of those with low concentrations of the chemicals in their bodies experienced insulin resistance.
The researchers of one of the study from the NYU Langone Medical Center analyzed urine samples of over 1,300 adolescents between the ages of 8 and 19 and found that the levels of DINP and DIDP corresponded to levels in blood pressure. Trasande’s research linking hypertension and exposure to DEHP in Americans came out in 2013. [12 Worst Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals Revealed].
A second study of 356 teens found a similar relationship between the levels of these chemicals and the potential for insulin resistance.
They found that increases in the concentrations of both chemicals in the urine were linked to an increased risk of insulin resistance. Meanwhile, a separate study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism linked the use of DINP and DIDP to the occurrence of insulin resistance. They derived from a phthalate called DEHP, a precursor that was widely associated wit high blood pressure. However, a recent study claims the substitutes are no safer than the chemical they replaced. The chemical, a probable human carcinogen, was learnt to have a number of negative health effects.
“Our study adds further concern for the need to test chemicals for toxicity prior to their broad and widespread use, which is not required under current federal law (the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act)”, he said in a statement.
Until agency regulations can catch up with the science, families can take safe and simple steps toward limiting phthalate exposure.
According to the report published in the NYU Langone Medical Center website, the two chemicals are increasingly used during manufacturing to strengthen plastic wraps, soap, cosmetics, and processed food containers.
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Scientists recommend keeping your exposure to these compounds at a minimum, and the best way to do so is to avoid products marked with 3, 6, and 7 on the outer packaging. Researchers urge people to not microwave foods in or covered by these plastic, as that can increase the risk of the plastic chemicals leaching into the food.
