by Luisa Dillner
If you've had to fight though plastic packaging to get to your
food you won't be surprised to hear it can raise your blood pressure –
but it's the phthalate chemicals used in the packaging rather than the
effort involved, that's to blame. These chemicals are generally used to
make plastic soft, for example in credit cards or plastic shower
curtains. A study of nearly 3,000 children in the Journal of Pediatrics
found that children between the ages of six and 19 who had been exposed
to phthalates (measured by levels of breakdown products of the
chemicals in their urine) had higher levels of blood pressure than those
who didn't.
When I asked the lead researcher, Leonardo Trasande from New York University School of Medicine,
if the small, clinically insignificant rise in blood pressure was
likely to mean anything, he said it could do so in later life. "We know
that phthalates damage the walls of arteries by oxidative stress
and they may directly damage heart cells," he says. "We know these
chemicals get into food from plastic wrappings and gloves, and that they
are in PVC flooring and cosmetics. We think they may have a effect on
cardiovascular health and that children and adolescents should have
limited exposure."
The solution
The
debate about phthalates, specifically those with low molecular weight
such as DEHP, DBP and BBP, has gone on for years. They are known as endocrine disruptors
as they are also accused of messing with hormones and causing girls to
reach puberty earlier, as well as reducing sperm count in boys. Denmark has banned some of them and may extend this further, while other countries have banned them from toys. A report from the WHO
said more research was urgently needed on their effect on rising rates
of a range of diseases such as diabetes and ADHD. The report stressed
the WHO's concern over the exposure in young children of phthalates and
other environmental chemicals that seem to interfere with human
hormones. Phthalates have also been linked to allergies and asthma.
Phthalates leach into food through packaging so you should avoid microwaving food or drinks in plastic and not use plastic cling wrap
and store your food in glass containers where possible. If you can
avoid pre-packaged, processed food then you are not only a terrific
human being but you will reduce your exposure. It may be too much to ask
you to replace that vinyl flooring with natural wood but studies do
show that children breathe in phthalates and absorb them through skin
Source: guardian.co.uk .
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