70,000 infant deaths and millions of premature births linked to common chemical in plastic

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Plastics and the chemicals used to make them are everywhere in the food we eat, the packaging it comes in, and the medical devices meant to keep us alive.

[00:00:09]And for many years, scientists have warned some of those chemicals may not be as safe as we've been told. Now, a major new study is putting numbers to that risk. Researchers have linked a common plastic chemical found in everything from food packaging to IV tubing to babies being born too soon and dying. Nearly 2 million children were born too soon in 2018 as a result of this preventable exposure. Dr. Leo Trasande, a pediatrician and one of the world's leading experts on chemical exposure, set out to measure just how big the problem is. We found something on the order of 70,000 deaths arising as a result of these preventable preterm births that we can trace back ultimately to plastic exposure because the vast majority of these phthalates are used in plastic materials.

[00:01:02]>> The chemical at the center of it, DEHP, is used to make plastics flexible. It's part of a class called phthalates, chemicals known to disrupt hormones and interfere with pregnancy. The placenta is very vulnerable. Phthalates contribute to inflammation and trigger rupture of membranes and signals of preterm labor. And the consequences don't end at birth. We know that premature babies have lower cognitive function. They also have increased cardiovascular risk in later life, including adulthood. While many of those deaths are happening in countries without advanced medical care, the exposure itself is global, including here in the United States, where Trasande links this chemical to tens of thousands of premature births every year.

[00:01:47]>> We don't have to be exposed to toxic chemicals when we go into the hospital.

[00:01:51]>> In 2024, we exposed how this same chemical, DEHP, used in hospital IV bags and tubing can leach directly into the body undermining some chemotherapy treatments and posing a risk to vulnerable babies. We know that babies in the newborn intensive care unit are among the most highly exposed per unit.

[00:02:12]>> Some hospital systems have started to phase it out. A few states have taken action, but whether a baby is exposed can still depend on where they're treated.

[00:02:21]>> If we can minimize something with a product that doesn't cost that much more money, it's a no-brainer. But it doesn't solve the problem of plastics that are unavoidable in daily life. In part because of a little-known loophole in federal law called generally recognized as safe or GRAS. There's an ugly secret here. In many ways industry can just sign with a pen and can vouch for safety. It allows chemicals to enter the market without rigorous independent testing often based on industry assurances that they're safe. Assurances given to a system Trusande says is lagging behind in science. Science has evolved and made us realize that little things truly do matter. And so we do need fundamental reform. For Spotlight on America, I'm Lisa Fletcher.