eClinicalMedicine
Plastic exposure may increase preterm birth risk
Clinical takeaway: Advise pregnant patients to try to limit plastic exposure—avoid heating food in plastic, choose fragrance-free products, and minimize packaged and processed foods.
Exposure to phthalates from plastics may have contributed to 2 million preterm births (8.7% of cases) and about 74,000 neonatal deaths globally in 2018, according to study estimates. While the highest burden was seen in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, the U.S. was also affected with an estimated 16,700 preterm births linked to phthalate exposure.
Phthalates are widely found in food packaging, personal care products, and household items, with exposure occurring through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Guidance from environmental health agencies recommends reducing exposure by avoiding heating food in plastic, choosing fragrance-free products, limiting processed foods, and reducing household dust exposure.
These findings align with prior evidence linking phthalates to endocrine disruption and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study quantifies the global burden of preterm births associated with exposure to di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP).
“Regulating phthalates one at a time and swapping in poorly understood replacements is unlikely to solve the larger problem,” said study senior author Dr. Leonardo Trasande, Professor of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “These findings highlight the urgent need for stronger, class-wide oversight of plastic additives to avoid repeating the same mistakes.”
Source: Hyman S, et al. (2026, March 31). eClinicalMedicine. Preterm birth attributable to exposure to chemicals used in plastic materials: a global estimate