The global study is the first-of-its-kind

A world-first study has found more than 356,000 deaths could be linked to a chemical found in common household items.

Researchers from New York University found that a plastic-softening chemical, called di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), had possibly contributed to hundreds of thousands of heart disease deaths across 200 countries.

The study examined the deaths of men and women aged between 55 and 64 - a group most at-risk of heart disease - in 2018.

DEHP and other phthalates have long been linked to health problems, including obesity, diabetes, fertility issues, and cancer.

It's now believed DEHP in particular could cause inflammation in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers estimate the economic cost of these deaths to be around $510 billion - although it could be as much as $3.74 trillion, the report suggests.

The study is the first global estimate of cardiovascular deaths tied to phthalate exposure. However, it doesn't prove that DEHP directly causes heart disease.

Lead author Sara Hyman, BS, an associate research scientist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said: "By highlighting the connection between phthalates and a leading cause of death across the world, our findings add to the vast body of evidence that these chemicals present a tremendous danger to human health."

What is DEHP used for?

DEHP is found in a number of household items, as well as food-related products and even medical supplies. Here's where you might find it...

Household items

• Cleaning products
• Vinyl flooring
• Shower curtains
• Garden hoses
• Wire and cable coatings
• Wallpaper
• Synthetic leather
• Plastic toys - though The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 saw the use of DEPH banned in the US

Food-related items

• Food packaging - especially plastic wrap or containers
• Conveyor belts in food processing

Medical products

• IV bags and tubing
• Blood bags
• Catheters
• Other flexible medical devices

What else did the study discover?

Scientists analyzed urine samples to estimate DEHP exposure, examining how much of the broken-down chemical had entered people’s bodies.

The study - published on April 29 in The Lancet eBiomedicine - found that the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific recorded the highest number of deaths, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the global total.

India alone had more than 100,000 deaths, followed by China and Indonesia.

The authors say these countries face higher rates of exposure to the chemicals due to weaker manufacturing restrictions than in the West - coupled with a 'boom' in plastic production.

The authors have now called for urgent regulation to limit DEHP use globally, especially in the countries facing high exposure rates.

Next, researchers will examine how reducing phthalate impacts global mortality rates, as well as investigating its links to other issues like, preterm births.