The Hidden Heart Risk: How Plastic May Be Impacting Your Cardiovascular Health
The Hidden Heart Risk: How Plastic May Be Impacting Your Cardiovascular Health
Author: Team Grove
We’re used to thinking of plastic as a pollution problem — a threat to sea turtles, landfills, and ecosystems. But what if it’s also affecting something far closer to home: your heart?
Emerging research is revealing that phthalates, a group of chemicals used to increase flexibility and make plastic more stretchable, may be silently contributing to cardiovascular disease. One study estimates that exposure to a single type of phthalate called DEHP may have been responsible for more than 356,000 heart-related deaths worldwide in 2018, with the largest burden in high-income countries like the U.S.¹
It’s not just unsettling. It’s urgent.
Where phthalates are hiding
Phthalates (pronounced thal-ates) are found in all sorts of household items: vinyl flooring, plastic packaging, medical tubing, beauty products, synthetic fragrances, and more.² Their job is to make plastic soft and pliable — but once released into the environment or absorbed into the human body, they can do something else entirely: disrupt hormones.³
And now, studies are showing that their reach goes further than hormones. They’re also targeting your cardiovascular system.¹ ²
What the science says
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers modeled global exposure to DEHP and linked it to increased risks of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure — particularly among adults aged 55 to 64.¹ These findings build on earlier work that explored how phthalates may impair blood vessels, alter heart rhythms, and raise inflammation levels, all of which are critical to cardiovascular health.² ⁴
Even small, everyday exposures can have cumulative effects. And it’s not just DEHP. The broader class of phthalates are under scrutiny for their pervasiveness and uncertain health impacts.⁵
You’re probably exposed — daily
Here’s where it gets personal: DEHP and other phthalates have been detected in the urine of nearly several thousand Americans tested, according to a previous study.³ That’s because these chemicals are everywhere — and they don’t stay in products.
These phthalates leach onto our skin, into our lungs, and through our food from everyday routines. Your exposure could come from microwaving leftovers in plastic containers, fragranced lotions or cleaning sprays, vinyl materials such as shower curtains or flooring, or breathing in particles from various materials.
Even though DEHP breaks down in the body within hours, the fact that it shows up consistently means we’re being re-exposed all the time.⁶
How to protect yourself and reduce your exposure
You can’t control everything, but you can find ways to reduce your exposure. Here are a few research-backed steps you can take today⁷ ⁸:
Swap plastic for glass, aluminum, or stainless steel, especially for food storage and reheating leftovers
Avoid products labeled with “fragrance” as personal care items like deodorants, shampoos, and perfumes can contain synthetic fragrances with phthalates in them⁹
Ventilate and vacuum your home regularly to reduce indoor buildup of microplastics that may contain phthalates
Choose phthalate-free personal care and cleaning products
Avoid vinyl flooring and PVC-heavy materials, especially in children’s rooms¹⁰
Every small change makes a difference — for your home and health.
Choose cleaner, conscious options for a healthier home and body
Our standard is simple: If it can harm your health or the environment, it doesn’t belong in your bathroom, kitchen, nursery, or anywhere in between. And as science continues to uncover new risks, we’ll keep raising the bar — so you don’t have to choose between a clean home and a safe one.
Plastic is convenient. But your health is priceless. Choosing better starts with being well informed and knowing where you can make changes for your health.
Sources
1 Hyman, S., Acevedo, J., Giannarelli, C., & Trasande, L. (2025). Phthalate exposure from plastics and cardiovascular disease: global estimates of attributable mortality and years life lost. eBioMedicine, 102, 105051. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(25)00174-4/fulltext
2 Mariana, M., & Cairrao, E. (2020). Phthalates implications in the cardiovascular system. Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, 7(3), 26. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7570088/
3 Trasande, L., Liu, B., & Bao, W. (2021). Phthalates and attributable mortality: A population-based longitudinal cohort study and cost analysis. Environmental Pollution, 292, 118021. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749121016031
4 Gore, A. C., Chappell, V. A., Fenton, S. E., Flaws, J. A., Nadal, A., Prins, G. S., Toppari, J., & Zoeller, R. T. (2015). EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Endocrine Reviews, 36(6), E1–E150. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/36/6/E1/2354691
5 Wang, Y., & Qian, H. (2021). Phthalates and their impacts on human health. Healthcare, 9(5), 603. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8157593/
6 Genuis, S. J., Beesoon, S., Lobo, R. A., & Birkholz, D. (2012). Human elimination of phthalate compounds: Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study. The Scientific World Journal, 2012, 615068. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3504417/
7 NRDC. (n.d.). Fighting Phthalates. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/fighting-phthalates
8 Environmental Working Group. (2021, October 19). Six tips to avoid phthalates after study highlights health harms, billion-dollar costs. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2021/10/six-tips-avoid-phthalates-after-study-highlights-health-harms-billion
9 Kazemi, Z., Aboutaleb, E., Shahsavani, A., Kermani, M., & Kazemi, Z. (2022). Evaluation of pollutants in perfumes, colognes and health effects on the consumer: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, 20(1), 589–598. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9163252/
10 Dorsey, C. (2020, January 13). The toxic problem with vinyl flooring that nobody warned you about. Hunker. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.hunker.com/1848004/toxic-flooring-vinyl-pvc-harm-chemicals
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