How to avoid exposure to phthalates, responsible for premature births

Ever since she became pregnant, Sarah has been going to her gynecologist every month. But in seven months of pregnancy, the doctor did not mention once the risk, however known, of endocrine disruptors such as phthalates on the health of the child, or the risk of premature delivery. “At the level of the risk of premature delivery, we are told about the consumption of alcohol, drugs or even sometimes caffeine or theine which can play on an earlier delivery”, she explains at the microphone of Europe 1.

However, exposure to phthalates, endocrine disruptors found in plastics, increases the risk of giving birth prematurely.

Plastic boxes, cosmetics… Phthalates are everywhere

An American study published in the famous journal JAMA Pediatrics has established a strong link between this exposure and premature delivery. A finding that is all the more alarming since phthalates are everywhere: plastic boxes, PVC floors, cosmetics… Certain simple actions, however, make it possible to avoid excessive exposure. “You don’t heat a plastic dish in the microwave, for example,” says Sarah.

This pregnant woman met by Europe 1 adds that it is also necessary “to avoid contact with cosmetics, organic cosmetics are phthalate-free. Avoid ultra-processed food because it is processed in plastic containers, so it contaminates at this level”.

In France, every eight minutes, a child is born prematurely, that is to say before 8.5 months of gestation, which represents 60,000 births per year. The Health Environment Network, which allowed the elimination of bisphenol A, asks the Ministry of Health to carry out campaigns with parents, who are not sufficiently informed according to this association. Reducing contact with phthalates by 50% would prevent 7,200 premature births in the country.