A randomized controlled trial in Australia found that adults who reduced plastic contact in their food and switched to personal care products containing fewer plastic-associated chemicals showed significant declines in urinary phthalates and bisphenols within just one week.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Reducing everyday contact with plastics through food choices, storage practices and personal care products can measurably lower exposure to several plastic-associated chemicals in as little as seven days, according to a randomized controlled trial conducted in Australia.
The PERTH Trial involved 60 adults in Perth who were assigned an intervention designed to minimize exposure to phthalates and bisphenols, chemicals commonly associated with plastics and consumer products.
Researchers measured participants’ urinary concentrations of the chemicals before and after the seven-day intervention and reported significant declines in multiple phthalates and bisphenols.
The findings, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that some forms of everyday chemical exposure can change relatively quickly when sources of contact are reduced.
Rather than focusing on a single product, researchers sought to limit plastic exposure across several stages of daily life.
Participants received food that had minimal contact with plastic during production, processing, packaging, storage and preparation. They also switched to personal care products selected for lower levels of plastic-derived chemicals.
The combined approach allowed researchers to examine exposure from both food-related sources and products used directly on the body.
According to the study, personal care products made a measurable difference independent of dietary changes. Participants who switched to low-plastic personal care products experienced reductions in phthalate levels even apart from the effects associated with their food.
The researchers summarized the broader implications of the intervention by stating: “Changing dietary behaviors; limiting highly processed foods, plastic food packaging and canned goods; and minimizing plastic touchpoints in food storage, preparation and handling reduces urinary excretion of… phthalates and bisphenols.”
The rapid change in urinary concentrations is significant because phthalates and bisphenols are widely encountered in modern consumer environments.
Phthalates are used in numerous plastic and personal care applications, including some shampoos, soaps and other hygiene products. A 2023 NaturalNews report cited research associating phthalate exposure with more than a 60% increase in the risk of developing diabetes among women.
Bisphenols are another group of chemicals commonly associated with plastics and food-contact materials.
Both phthalates and bisphenols are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals because of their ability to interfere with hormone-related biological processes.
An article on Mercola.com described endocrine disruptors found in plastics as substances capable of interfering with natural sex hormones such as estrogen and disrupting normal physiological functions.
Previous research discussed in the report has associated exposure to plastic-related chemicals with a range of health concerns, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, reproductive problems, neurotoxicity and some cancers. Such associations do not necessarily establish that a particular chemical causes those conditions at the exposure levels encountered by an individual.
Australian researchers have previously reported evidence linking phthalates in plastic food packaging with chronic disease.
Separate research covered by Children’s Health Defense has associated early exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, with an increased likelihood of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and obesity later in life.
The broader chemical composition of plastics remains an area of substantial uncertainty.
According to the report, 16,325 chemicals are known to be used in plastics, and more than 66% have never undergone testing or assessment for potential hazards. Relatively few plastic-associated chemicals are subject to regulations specifically intended to minimize population exposure.
Dr. Gemma Newman, writing in Get Well, Stay Well, has argued that possible health risks associated with plastics cannot be reduced to a single ingredient because numerous compounds may be present and their combined effects often remain poorly studied.
She also noted that legislation has been slow to keep pace with emerging research.
In The Water Secret, Howard Murad cited a 2006 World Health Organization report estimating that environmental exposures contribute to nearly one-quarter of disease worldwide.
The Australian trial provides evidence that people may be able to reduce exposure to certain plastic-associated chemicals through relatively straightforward changes.
Limiting heavily processed foods, avoiding unnecessary plastic food packaging and canned products, and reducing plastic contact during storage and cooking were among the behaviors highlighted by researchers.
Personal care products may represent another important exposure route, as demonstrated by the independent decline in phthalate concentrations among participants using alternatives containing fewer plastic-derived chemicals.
The findings do not establish that eliminating plastic exposure altogether is practical or necessary, nor did the researchers identify a single approach that should be adopted by everyone.
They also emphasized the distinction between what individual consumers can accomplish and what could be achieved through broader regulatory or industry changes.
Research cited in the report suggests that government and policy interventions may reduce exposure more consistently across entire populations than strategies that require individual consumers to identify and avoid potentially problematic products themselves.
Environmental Health News has similarly discussed lifestyle changes as a potentially meaningful way to reduce exposure while acknowledging the limitations of placing responsibility primarily on consumers.
Concern about plastics extends beyond chemicals deliberately incorporated into products.
Microplastics and nanoplastics have now been detected throughout the food chain, with NaturalNews reporting on evidence of plastic particles in products ranging from bottled water to processed foods.
Coverage of a scientific commentary published in Globalization and Health described ultra-processed foods and plastics as having a “toxic relationship,” reflecting growing concern about how plastic packaging, industrial food production and chemical exposures may intersect.
The PERTH Trial did not attempt to settle the question of whether individual behavior or systemic policy offers the better long-term solution.
Instead, the authors called for additional research comparing the benefits of consumer-level interventions with broader measures capable of reducing exposure throughout the population.
The findings nevertheless demonstrate that exposure to at least some phthalates and bisphenols is not necessarily fixed.
Within seven days, changing how food was packaged, stored, prepared and consumed, while also replacing certain personal care products, was associated with measurable reductions in urinary concentrations of several chemicals.
With more than two-thirds of known plastic-associated chemicals reportedly lacking comprehensive hazard assessments, the results add to calls for further study of both the health implications of plastic exposure and practical ways to reduce it.
Explainer Infographic
Comments