A range of chemicals found in some pesticides, cosmetics, toys and food containers, are thought to contribute to reproductive health problems in hundreds of thousands of women.
This could cost the EU more than 1.4 billion Euros (£1 billion) a year in healthcare costs and lost earning potential, according to new research involving the University of Aberdeen.
To come up with the figure, researchers, including experts from Washington State University, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, the University of Washington in Seattle and the University of Aberdeen and led by Dr Leonardo Trasande, New York University Langone Medical Center, examined a number of medical conditions that could be caused by environmental chemicals.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been linked to conditions such as uterine fibroids – benign growths on the uterus that can contribute to infertility and other health problems – and endometriosis, where the tissue that normally lines the uterus develops elsewhere in the body. The two conditions are common, with as many as 70 per cent of women affected by at least one of the disorders.
Past studies suggest a very persistent by-product of the banned pesticide DDT, a chemical known as DDE, can raise the risk of developing uterine fibroids. Another group of chemicals called phthalates, which are found in plastic products, cosmetics and body-care products, have been tied to growing risk of endometriosis.
DDT, DDE and phthalates are known EDCs – chemicals that can contribute to health problems by mimicking, blocking or otherwise interfering with the body’s hormones. Unborn children are particularly vulnerable because exposure during key points in development can raise the risk of health problems later in life.
Authors of the paper, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, used a number of criteria to evaluate the likelihood of EDCs being a contributing factor to a number of medical conditions. They estimated 145,000 cases of endometriosis and 56,700 cases of uterine fibroids in Europe could be attributed to exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
The economic analysis included direct costs of hospital stays, physician services, and other medical costs. The researchers also calculated estimates of indirect costs such as lost worker productivity associated with these disorders.
Professor Paul Fowler, Director of the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, who is one of the authors, said, ‘This study highlights that exposure to environmental ‘every day’ chemicals may contribute substantially to the potential health costs and lost working hours to the EU resulting from two of the most common reproductive women’s diseases. Of particular concern are endocrine disrupting compounds – chemicals that can disturb the body’s hormone systems.’
