Are Plastic Chemicals Related to the Obesity Epidemic in the U.S.?
Published: 21 March 2007
Category: Packaging CONCERNS, Phthalates
A Rochester study has linked exposure to phthalates, found in many plastics products, to insulin resistance and abdominal obesity in adult males. The research adds to the growing concern that low-dose exposures to phthalates and other common chemicals may be reducing testosterone levels in men, thereby contributing to the rise in obesity and possibly even diabetes. According to the study, more than “75 percent of the United States population has measurable levels of several phthalates in their urine.”