Plastic: The new plasticizers also make you sick
Larissa Melville completed her traineeship in the editorial team of . After studying biology at Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, she first got to know digital media online at Focus and then decided to learn medical journalism from scratch.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.MunichDecreased fertility, cancer, diabetes and obesity - all of these are supposed to be caused by plastic softeners in packaging, cosmetics and the like. As early as 2004, the Europeans banned the main culprit, but only put an alleged stop to the plastic risk.
Di-2-Ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) was the name of the "plasticizer for all cases" that had to give way to the new favorites of the packaging industry a good ten years ago. But now it turns out: Here the devil was driven out with the Beelzebub. Because the new generation of plasticizers belongs to the same family.
Plastic full of toxins?
Leonardo Trasande and Teresa Attina from NYU Langone Medical Center in New York examined the effects of plastic softeners on the health of children and adolescents in several studies. They were particularly interested in the substances: diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP).
Two substances that are increasingly being used as a substitute for DEHP, which has fallen into disrepute. Cling film, soaps, cosmetics and food packaging in particular are full of them. The irony about it: The two substitutes, like DEHP, also belong to the class of phthalates, which have long been used in the manufacture of soft PVC and have repeatedly made negative headlines.
Residues in the urine expose the sinners
The researchers used a urine test to determine how much the test subjects came into contact with plasticizers in everyday life: the more plasticizers that enter the body, the more degradation products of these substances can be detected in the urine. Overall, the researchers determined the phthalate concentration in the urine of more than 1,600 children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years.
Trasande and Attina found that the higher the concentration of the plasticizers DINP and DIDP, the greater the risk of high blood pressure: with every tenfold increase in the amount of phthalate consumed, the dial indicator reported an increase of 1.1 millimeters Hg - the medical unit for blood pressure. Trasande already found a similar result for DEHP in 2013.
The risk of diabetes also increases
And another connection emerged. A previous study with 356 adolescents between 12 and 19 years of age showed that the higher the DINP and DEHP concentration in the urine, the greater the likelihood of insulin resistance - a preliminary stage of diabetes: 34 percent of the test persons with high concentrations of DINP in the urine also possessed a high level of insulin resistance.
In contrast, only 23 percent of the control group had insulin resistance. In the case of DEHP, the connection was even clearer: 38 percent of the candidates with a high urinary phthalate concentration developed insulin resistance, compared with 21 percent in the control group.
Wax paper instead of plastic packaging
"Our research raises concerns that environmental chemicals may promote insulin resistance, increased blood pressure and other metabolic diseases," summarizes Trasande. Plasticizers are contained in many products, but there are at least a few simple and safe tricks to reduce the amount.
- Do not microwave food in plastic containers or cover them with plastic lids.
- Do not use cling film, but wax paper or aluminum foil.
- Always wash your plastic containers by hand and not in the dishwasher: the aggressive chemicals dissolve the plasticisers from the plastic and they are taken up with the next dish.
And another tip: When buying new "Tupperware boxes", pay attention to the declaration of the ingredients.
Sources:
NYU Langone Medical Centers press release dated July 8th, 205
Trasande L. & Attina T-M .: Association of Exposure to Di-2-Ethylhexylphthalate Replacements With Increased Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Hypertension. DOI: 10.1161 / HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.05603
Trasande L. & Attina T-M .: Association of Exposure to Di-2-Ethylhexylphthalate Replacements with Increased Insulin Resistance in Adolescents from NHANES 2009–2012. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. DOI: 10.1210 / jc.2015-1686
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