According to the Insider, the chemical DEHP can set off a chain of events that leads to the formation of uterine fibroid. DEHP improves the plasticity of several goods, including shower curtains and food packaging.
Fibroid tumors have been associated with severe pelvic discomfort, bleeding, infertility, and pregnancy difficulties. According to a new study in Northwestern, exposure to a plastics-making chemical can start a chain reaction that leads to uterine fibroids.
DEHP, or di(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, is a synthetic chemical in many popular items used to increase plastic’s flexibility. Shower curtains, shoes, garden hoses, rainwear, dolls, and processed food packaging are examples of the various goods that profit from their adaptability.
A growing body of studies has linked even modest levels of exposure to an elevated risk of diabetes and obesity. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most common way people are exposed to DEHP is by eating food from plastic containers.
Although prior research has revealed a link between high DEHP levels and uterine fibroid growth, the new study’s principal author, Dr. Serdar Bulun of Northwestern University’s medical school, claims that his study is the first to investigate how DEHP may directly promote tumor growth.
However, Bulun pointed out that fibroids grow in a “subtle process,” and the impact was negligible. The absence of apparent symptoms, such as cancer, following phthalate exposure, does not imply that these chemicals are harmless and do not cause issues.
Fibroids, also known as fibromas, are benign tumors that can develop anywhere in or on the uterus. According to STAT News, these disorders can result in infertility, pregnancy problems, severe pelvic discomfort, and bleeding.
Fibroids are roughly as common as diabetes, with the National Institutes of Health projecting that over 26 million Americans will get them at some point. Black women are more likely than males to be affected, and most instances occur during reproductive years.
A lack of study has rendered fibroids a medical mystery. Although the exact cause of uterine fibroids is unknown, experts know that a lack of vitamin D, excessive alcohol consumption, and a family history of the tumors raise your chances of developing them.
It was a vast scientific success when Finnish researchers uncovered a gene (MED12) that enhances a person’s chance of developing uterine fibroids in 2011.
Bulun has been thinking about a solution to this enigma for quite some time. Years of research culminated in publishing his findings: people with the MED12 gene occasionally produce a hormone from nutrients found in meals such as milk and turkey. When this hormone undergoes a metabolic transition, it activates previously dormant receptors, causing fibroids to proliferate.
In this study, DEHP, one of the phthalates studied by Bulun’s team, was shown to activate the process by which fibroid cells transform into normal cells. “Even if she just has a few little fibroids, to begin with, these tumors increase,” Bulun said of women exposed to phthalates regularly.
According to Bulun, he will continue to investigate whether or not there is a link between pollution and cancer development. “Every one of us, especially our politicians, should make learning more about the hazards of environmental pollution a primary concern. Investing time and money here will pay highly profitable results.”
