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Plastics Used in NICUs May Expose Premature Babies to Toxic Levels of Chemical, Study Finds

Seattle Birth Injury Lawyers

A new study published in the Journal of Perinatology indicates that hospitalized premature babies may be exposed to levels of the chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in amounts that are 4,000 to 160,000 times higher than those believed to be safe, possibly contributing to prematurity complications.

DEHP is used to increase flexibility in a wide range of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, including the intravenous tubing, catheters, and fluid and blood bags that are used to care for premature infants in hospitals. Over the course of weeks or months of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) treatment, critically ill preemies’ daily DEHP intake can reach 16 mg/kg per day, the study researchers found.

‘An Environment Composed Almost Entirely of Plastic’

“It’s remarkable that the care of sick and developmentally vulnerable preterm infants depends on an environment composed almost entirely of plastic,” neonatologist and study leader Dr. Eric B. Mallow said in a press release from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“The role of these synthetic materials in the clinical course of our patients remains almost completely unexplored. PVC is the predominant flexible plastic in most NICUs, and this can result in considerable DEHP exposures during intensive care,” Dr. Mallow said in the press release.

DEHP, part of a class of chemicals called phthalates, is the only phthalate approved for medical device use, although it isn’t regulated. Its use in children’s products, however, is strictly regulated, according to the press release from Johns Hopkins. DEHP is also found in clothing, cosmetics, food packaging and many other consumer products.

DEHP may affect testicle development and normal sperm production, according to the FDA, but Dr. Mallow and his team reviewed research that also links the chemical to non-endocrine toxic effects such as inflammation, liver injury, and brain, eye, and lung development problems.

‘Struggling to Survive’

“We were floored by how high the exposures are when you look at all of the devices together,” co-investigator Dr. Mary A. Fox said in the Johns Hopkins release. “It’s a population that we know is vulnerable to begin with. They’re struggling to survive. And the concern now is whether this phthalate exposure is actually contributing to their problems when these medical products are supposed to be helping them get better.”

According to the researchers, the best way to reduce preemie phthalate exposure during critical care is replacing DEHP-containing products with non-DEHP alternatives. That goes not only for medical equipment, but also for construction materials and personal care products.

As the Washington Post reports, the European Union will begin phasing out DEHP by 2015, while in France the chemical will be completely banned in maternal and neonatal tubing by next year.

“We do have to make tradeoffs and we want to save these babies,” Fox said in the press release. “But can we save them by using alternative products that reduce their exposure to substances that may be harming them? It seems like we could.”

The Seattle medical malpractice attorneys at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC, represent families throughout Washington State in cases involving medical malpractice and negligent patient harm. Please contact us for a free consultation.