Parents of premature infants are already concerned about their baby’s health, and they may now have another worry. Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers discovered that plastics used to treat premature babies, or preemies, contain levels of a chemical called DEHP up to 160,000 times the safe amount. The finding means doctors might need to find alternative products to save our littlest patients.
DEHP is found in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and makes many plastic devices like blood bags and feeding tubes more flexible. But the chemical doesn’t attach to the plastic, so it can leak into babies’ fluids and tissues. In the past, most research has focused on how the chemical disrupts normal hormone functions, slowing growth. But researchers found that it interferes with many other non-endocrine functions, too.
Mary Fox and Eric Mallow at the Bloomberg School combed previous research articles for these other functions. In their own study, published last month online in the Journal of Perinatology, they analyzed previous studies on the effects of DEHP. These papers found that the chemical could cause inflammation, increased numbers of oxygen radicals in tissues, liver cell death, decreased innervation and impaired vision in lab animals.
Likewise, many critically ill preemies suffer from these conditions. For example, DEHP swelled lungs in rats, matching a severe lung disease often found in preemies — bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which requires them to depend on machines to breathe.
The pair also perused studies on the relationship between medical products and DEHP. Since the 1940s, blood bags and tubes (like those inserted in babies’ airways) have been made with PVC. After reviewing the toxicity and leakage of DEHP in PVC medical devices, Mallow and Fox calculated what amounts of the chemical babies were exposed to. They found that a four-pound preemie could be exposed to almost 16 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. That’s 160,000 times more than the limit to avoid liver damage.
The paper suggests that replacing DEHP medical products would be the most effective way to protect preemies. Alternatives are available, and some hospitals, like the Kaiser Permanente System, are committed to eliminating the use of IV lines and other devices with the chemical. With this commitment, the system saves about $5 million per year on medical devices. But most hospitals haven’t made the switch: Alternatives for some types of medical equipment still don’t exist.
The chemical does have some benefits like stabilizing cell membranes and protecting against the destruction of red blood cells when bags or tubes are stored. It should also be noted that no research has yet been done to prove that DEHP is actually causing these injuries to preemies — that it is not simply a strong correlation.
Still, the scientists are optimistic that hospitals will make the necessary changes. Fox believes that doctors can save premature babies while still reducing their exposure to harmful substances.
