New ‘high safety’ chemicals in plastic food packaging linked to lower birth weight, study finds

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Dinch, an allegedly ‘safe’ alternative, used in the EU and US also found to cause fetal development complicationsExposure to a new generation of allegedly “safe” plasticizers is…

Dinch, an allegedly ‘safe’ alternative, used in the EU and US also found to cause fetal development complications

Exposure to a new generation of allegedly “safe” plasticizers is linked to lower birth weight and fetal development complications, which could cause serious health problems later in life, a new peer-reviewed study found.

As the health risks in exposure to common phthalate plasticizers became clear over the last few decades, industry began switching to a new type of chemical, called Dinch, that it claimed was a “high safety”, nontoxic alternative. It is widely used in soft plastic food packaging in the United States and European Union, and is found in children’s toys, medical devices, some textiles, flooring and other consumer goods.

But it may not be as safe as industry has claimed, the New York University Langone Health analysis of federal US health data suggests. There is a dearth of research into Dinch health risks, though what exists points toward the chemicals being hormone disruptors that can impact kids’ development.

The new paper is the first to link Dinch to lower birth weights and birth lengths. Fetal growth problems can raise the risk for heart disease, learning difficulties, obesity and other issues that can echo into adolescence and adulthood, the authors wrote.

“Chemicals should be properly tested for their safety before they become a widespread exposure for unwitting people in the general public,” said Leonardo Trasande, a lead author on the NYU paper.

The chemical is formally named 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester. It is used to make plastic more flexible and durable, and is found in common kitchen products such as cling film and plastic wine corks.

Researchers looked at data for over 6,600 pregnancies collected as part of the National Institutes of Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (Echo) Program.

Each tenfold increase in Dinch exposure resulted in a 27-gram reduction in newborn birth weight.

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