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Phthalates—chemicals used in synthetic chemicals called phthalates—found in hundreds of consumer products such as food storage containers, shampoo, makeup, perfume, and children’s toys may contribute to some 91,000 to 107,000 premature deaths a year among people ages 55 to 64 in the United States, a new study found.
The study, led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, estimated these deaths could cost the United States about $40 to $47 billion annually in lost economic productivity.
“This study adds to the growing data base on the impact of plastics on the human body and bolsters public health and business cases for reducing or eliminating the use of plastics,” says lead author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, a professor in the Departments of Environmental Medicine and Population Health and director of the Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards at NYU Langone Health.
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