Reuters Health picked up the story later Monday, and then HuffPo and NBC News followed suit, both running coverage from LiveScience. CBS News did some original reporting Monday evening, going so far as to write "The Food and Drug Administration states that the effect of phthalates on health remain not well-defined."
Isn't that interesting! The FDA can't tell us if a pervasively-used chemical is safe or not!
Here's what the medical expert CBS News talked to had to say:
"Dr. Stephen E. Welty, the chief of the neonatology service at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, told CBSNews.com that he considered the association between preterm birth and phthalate exposure to be strong.
He admitted it would be impossible to avoid phthalates completely, but said there are some things people can do to reduce their exposure. He suggested not eating or storing food in plastic containers, because phthalates are known to leech into food items. Welty also said to be careful to use cosmetics that have even low levels of phthalates."
I added the bold type there for emphasis. Because, please tell me, where does one find food NOT packaged in plastic? Everything in the grocery store comes in a bag. Or some other type of flexible plastic something. So even if I use nothing but glass and ceramic food storage at home, my food spends its journey to my kitchen in nothing but plastic.
It's worth the read, even if you're not big on learning about things like phthalates. Which I totally get, because it's not the most uplifting news. But if you know someone with child, this may help her and that little bean inside her have a better, lower-phthalate chance at a healthy, full term delivery.
-- Jazzy
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