In a new study from the University of Vermont Cancer Center, researchers found that phthalates, commonly called the “everywhere chemical,” are linked to a higher incidence of specific childhood cancers.
Phthalates are chemical additives used to enhance the durability or consistency of plastics and a wide range of consumer products.
Humans are routinely exposed to these compounds when they leach out of the products and into the environment.
They are also used as inactive ingredients in some medications, especially those that require extended or delayed drug release to work properly, for example, some anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.
In the current study, the team examined the association between gestational and childhood phthalate exposures and childhood cancer incidence.
They analyzed all live births between 1997 and 2017, totaling nearly 1.3 million children recorded by Danish Medical Birth Registry, the Danish Medicines Agency, and the Danish Cancer Registry.
Among the 2,027 cases of childhood cancer, researchers measured associations between gestational and childhood phthalate exposure and the incidence of specific cancers.
They found that childhood, but not gestational (in utero) phthalate exposure was associated with a 20% higher rate of childhood cancer overall, with a nearly three-fold higher rate of osteosarcoma diagnosis, bone cancer, and a two-fold higher rate of lymphoma diagnosis, cancer of the blood.
The researchers noted that although more studies are needed, exposure to phthalates has been linked to thyroid, breast, and other solid tumors.
Phthalates, like other plasticizers such as bisphenol A (BPA), are ubiquitous in the environment; the age of exposure, as well as chronic low dose exposures, are significant risk factors for adverse health effects.
In summary, exposure to medication-associated phthalates may contribute to the development of some childhood cancers.
Minimizing exposure to phthalates may help prevent some childhood cancers in the future.
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The study was conducted by Thomas Ahern et al., and published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
