Over the past ten years, there have been different studies that showed that the endocrine disruptor, DEHP might lead to unfavorable reproductive and developmental effects (Swan, 2008). Research has been done to determine the relationship between exposure to DEHP and their metabolites with a decline in male reproductive capacity. The studied also found that endocrine disruptors such as DEHP and mEPH increased the risk of prostate and testicular cancer. Epidemiology studies found a relationship between DEHP exposure and the increase risk of endometriosis, oocyte incompetence, ovarian malfunction, and cancer in females (Swan, et al. 2005). Recent measure the effects of DEHP exposure in early developmental stages. The results indicate that there is a relationship between DEHP and alterations during sex differentiation (Swan, et al 2005; Meeker et al. 2009).
Other recent studies suggest that it is not the amount of exposure that produces increased side effects, but rather the time of exposure. Therefore, recent research is trying to asses if there is a relationship between the time of exposure and the effects of DEHP. The current research by Swan (2008) focuses on early exposure of DEHP in humans. This new area of investigation is very recent and significant however, the outcomes remain unclear. For that reason, early exposure to DEHP should be carefully analyzed and more studies are needed to demonstrate that DEHP is a potent endocrine disruptor that affects the human reproductive system during early development. The findings of Swan (2008) helped to push laws in congress to ban some phthalate metabolites from children’s toys. The research also found a positive correlation of the high number of cases of hypospadias and un-descended testicles in newborn males.
Phthalates are ubiquitous and are widely distributed in the environment. Do you think the Government should create a law, requesting plastic manufacturers to provide information about amount of DHEP present in their products? Or Should the Government increase funding to promote more research regarding the long term effect of phthalates in humans (by measuring blood and urine test DHEP concentrations or by measuring the anogenital distance in newborns?
References:
Meeker, John D., Sathyanarayana, Sheela. Swan, Shanna H.2009.Phthalates and other additives in plastics: human exposure and associated health outcomes. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. 364, 2097-2113. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0268
Swan .S., Main .K., Liu .F., Stewart S., Kruse. R., Calafat A. et al. 2005. Decrease in anogenital distance among male infants with prenatal phthalate exposure. Environ Health Perspect 113,1056-61.
