New research suggests premature infants may suffer adverse effects from chemicals found in numerous medical products used to treat them.
The chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), which is used to increase the flexibility of plastics, is often found in these types of devices, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health reported. The chemicals are known to be endocrine disruptors and can also cause liver injury and interfere with lung, brain, and eye development.
The products are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which contains the chemical, and can be found in "intravenous tubing, catheters, endotracheal tubes, and fluid and blood product bags,"
DEHP doesn't bind chemically to PVC, and can contaminate anyone who comes in direct contact. The researchers found in critically ill preterm patients were exposed to levels of DEHP between 4,000 and 160,000 times higher than those believed to be safe.
"It's remarkable that the care of sick and developmentally vulnerable preterm infants depends on an environment composed almost entirely of plastic," says neonatologist Eric B. Mallow, MD, MPH, a senior research program coordinator at the Bloomberg School and the study's leader. "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."
To make their findings the researchers reviewed and analyzed previously published studies of DEHP. They found the total daily exposure four ever four-pound critically ill infant can reach up to 16 milligrams per day. The largest source of exposure is believed to be blood products, and endotracheal tubes, which are placed in the airway to deliver breathing support.
"We do have to make tradeoffs and we want to save these babies," said co-investigator Mary A. Fox, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management."But can we save them by using alternative products that reduce their exposures to substances that may be harming them? It seems like we could."
The findings were published Nov. 13 in the Journal of Perinatology.
