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<\/div>Plastic food packaging can expose people to chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA)<\/p>\n
Shutterstock\/Trong Nguyen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
Hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of cases of heart disease<\/a> worldwide may be linked to chemicals in common plastic products, suggesting that more stringent regulations on such toxins could benefit public health.<\/p>\n Maureen Cropper<\/a> at the University of Maryland and her colleagues assessed the public health impact of exposure to three types of chemicals primarily used in plastics: bisphenol A (BPA), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). BPA and DEHP are found in plastic food packaging<\/a> and PBDEs are flame retardants used in some household goods, such as furniture and electronics.<\/p>\n Drawing on more than 1700 previously published studies, the team estimated people\u2019s exposure to these three classes of chemicals across 38 countries, which represent roughly a third of the world\u2019s population. Three of the countries \u2013 the US, Canada and South Korea \u2013 also have public databases that monitor levels of these chemicals in urine and blood samples, providing even more accurate data.<\/p>\n In combination with medical records and toxicology reports, the researchers calculated health outcomes attributable to these chemicals. They found that in 2015, about 5.4 million cases of coronary artery disease and 346,000 strokes<\/a> were associated with BPA exposure and that roughly 164,000 deaths in people between 55 and 64 years old may have been due to DEHP.<\/p>\n