They’re colourless, odourless, and invisible to the naked eye. They’re in personal care products, food containers, vinyl materials, and the dust that settles on your floors. And according to a major new analysis, exposure to certain toxic chemicals in plastics may be contributing to a significant global burden of phthalates preterm birth outcomes.
A large-scale analysis published in The Lancet journal eClinicalMedicine (led by researchers at NYU Langone Health) has put a spotlight on the potential plastic chemicals health risks tied to phthalates, especially phthalates in pregnancy, and the long-term implications for babies, families, and public health systems.
The analysis estimated that exposure to a chemical commonly used to make plastics more flexible may have contributed to approximately 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 (over 8% of the global total), alongside tens of thousands of infant deaths.
The chemical at the centre of these findings is di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), of the most widely known phthalates used in plastics. DEHP and related chemicals belong to a broader family of phthalates, which have been linked in previous research to developmental, reproductive, immune, and metabolic outcomes. The findings add urgency to concerns about plastic exposure health risks, particularly during sensitive life stages.
Importantly, the analysis also evaluated a replacement phthalate, diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), and suggested a comparable health burden, reinforcing concerns about “regrettable substitution,” where swapping one chemical for a close analogue may not reduce risk.
Phthalates are often called “everywhere chemicals” because they appear across consumer goods and industrial materials. Common sources of toxic chemicals in plastics include:
Exposure can occur through ingestion (food contact and hand-to-mouth transfer), inhalation (indoor air and dust), and dermal contact. Household dust is a particularly important pathway, which is why plastic exposure health risks can be hard to avoid in modern indoor environments.
The study also highlighted that the burden is not evenly distributed globally, with higher estimated impacts in certain regions—suggesting differences in exposure patterns, product use, regulation, and healthcare access.
Researchers believe phthalates in pregnancy may increase risk by interfering with hormone signalling and pregnancy-regulating pathways. This is why phthalates are often discussed as endocrine disruptors pregnancy concerns: they can interfere with the endocrine system, which plays a central role in sustaining pregnancy.
Proposed mechanisms include:
These pathways help explain the growing evidence around phthalates preterm birth, and why the question “can plastics cause premature birth?” has become an increasingly studied public health concern. While no single chemical explains all cases, the consistent signal across studies is that persistent, low-level exposure to endocrine-active chemicals may contribute to risk.
The consequences of preterm birth can be lifelong, including breathing and feeding difficulties in infancy, developmental delays, and increased risks of chronic health issues later in life.
The risks are not limited to pregnancy. Prior research links phthalate exposure to outcomes such as childhood asthma, obesity, cardiovascular impacts, and other health endpoints - reinforcing that plastic chemicals health risks are a whole-of-life issue, not a single moment in time.
A central message from the analysis is that regulating phthalates one by one may not be enough. When one chemical is restricted, manufacturers may replace it with a close analogue that carries similar hazards, leading to an ongoing cycle of concern and replacement.
This is why many scientists and policy experts are increasingly calling for broader, class-based evaluation of groups like phthalates, rather than managing DEHP effects in isolation.
You can’t eliminate exposure entirely, but practical changes can reduce it, especially for people who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or caring for young children. If you’re asking how to reduce phthalate exposure, consider:
This research highlights a reality chemical safety professionals know well: the full hazard profile of a chemical is often revealed years, sometimes decades after widespread adoption. For manufacturers, importers, and product formulators working with plastics, packaging, and consumer goods, understanding plastic chemicals health risks and managing substitution decisions is both a compliance requirement and a responsibility.
Chemwatch supports this work through Safety Data Sheet (SDS) management, regulatory monitoring, and chemical risk assessment tools that help organisations track ingredients, evaluate hazards, and document safer substitution pathways. When evidence evolves - as it has with phthalates in pregnancy, DEHP effects, and phthalates preterm birth concerns having reliable chemical intelligence and strong governance helps organisations shift from reactive response to proactive product stewardship.
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