Widely used chemical linked to 100,000 US deaths per year: study

[Klaralven]

Daily exposure to phthalates, a group of chemicals used in everything from plastic containers to makeup, may lead to approximately 100,000 deaths in older Americans annually, a study from New York University warned Tuesday.

The chemicals, which can be found in hundreds of products such as toys, clothing and shampoo, have been known for decades to be "hormone disruptors," affecting a person's endocrine system.

The toxins can enter the body through such items and are linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, said the study published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

The research, which was carried out by New York University's Grossman School of Medicine and includes some 5,000 adults aged 55 to 64, shows that those with higher concentrations of phthalates in their urine were more likely to die of heart disease.

However, higher concentrations did not appear to increase the risk of death by cancer.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211012-widely-used-chemical-linked-to-100-000-us-deaths-per-year-study

[CrackityJones75]

1. Linked to obesity and diabetes?

Why I was told that it was because of a gene!

[Hekate]

2. Because the causes of obesity are very complex, & not just one thing

The more that scientists discover, the more there is to discover.

[CrackityJones75]

3. Agreed!

[Coventina]

4. Many genes are in the "off" position and do nothing.

However, they turned on by various chemicals and hormones in the blood.

My family has a genetic disease that lies dormant for decades, until something switches it on. Doctors are trying to figure out the trigger so they can stop the process.

[CrackityJones75]

6. trigger is a very simplistic term

As though there is one thing that does it.

I highly suggest people watch the documentary “A dangerous idea”

[Coventina]

7. OF course it's a simplistic term.. However, it was used by a neurologist to explain

my mother's condition.

It' just a simplified explanation of the truth!

[CrackityJones75]

8. Oh I agree!

I have become pretty grossed out by what genetics has been used for in the past and present. It has been used to excuse things that could be dealt with in a much better way. It has been used to sell populations on the ideas that others can achieve and they likely cannot because of genetics. Fat? Its genetic. Not athletic enough? It’s genetic. Smoker? Genetic. On and on and on…. Nee supposed genes are discovered every day. Sometimes they aren’t even discovered just conjured up in the parlance of the times and given meaning where none exist.

[Coventina]

9. Genes are real, not excuses. If I had inherited my mother's #9 chromosome, I would

probably be dead or profoundly disabled already.

She was in a locked nursing facility at my age.

Her mother was unable to eat and had a feeding tube at my age.

And her mother (my great grandmother) was completely catatonic by my age.

Luckily for me, I got my dad's #9, but it was the flip of the coin.

[CrackityJones75]

10. Of course they are real.

They are just part of the story though.

[hunter]

11. On the other hand, there's all that "personal responsibility" bullshit...

... as if every kid who has been severely traumatized by violence, environmental toxins, and malnutrition would become an upstanding citizen if only they understood the magical powers of prayer, self discipline, and respect for authority.

I can easily understand why someone might be overweight, a smoker, a heroin addict... and hell yes, a lot of those tendencies *ARE* genetic, there is no denying it.

But then what are *WE* going to do about it? These are not just personal problems, they are social problems. Denying genetic factors doesn't solve any problems.

[BootinUp]

5. phthalate plasticizers have gotten a lot of regulatory attention in the past 10 years

The known bad actors in the bunch were blacklisted in the EU quite some time ago. The US is following but a little behind. US manufacturers, that are responsible, have replaced them already. So I would say this story is a bit alarmist at this point. Research continues on the remaining ones but hard data like the kind the FDA uses has yet to show these links. I was just working on something involving regulation of phthalates.