"Exposure to a common group of chemicals used in plastics and a broad range of personal care products leads to an uptick in preterm births, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Research released this week and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association links those chemicals, phthalates, to early deliveries, one of the top causes of death and disease in newborns. Based on data from more than 6,000 pregnant women, NIH found that a higher concentration of phthalates in urine samples correlated to a greater likelihood of preterm births.

Kelly Ferguson, an epidemiologist at the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the senior author on the study, said that the findings offer insight into just how chemical exposure can impact pregnant people, with severe implications."

E.A. Crunden reports for E&E News July 13, 2022. [2]