In an article published on June 17, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open, a group of US scientists under the lead of Jessie P. Buckley from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that gestational exposure to multiple phthalates or alternative plasticizers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is associated with younger gestational age at birth or lower average birth weights.
The cohort study consisted of 5318 US mother-child pairs and analyzed 10 classes of chemicals that are widely used, including in food contact materials. Chemical classes comprised fungicides and herbicides (n = 11), insecticides (n = 20), halogenated phenols (n = 5), organophosphate esters (n = 10), benzophenones (n = 6), bisphenols (n = 14), parabens (n = 6), antimicrobials (n = 2), phthalates or alternative plasticizers (n = 32), and PAHs (n = 7).
Buckley and co-authors detected 43 of the 113 analyzed chemicals in half of the samples or more. The researchers found evidence that many chemicals across multiple classes were associated with some degree of altered birth outcomes, with associations not being equally strong or consistent across all chemical groups. Phthalates and alternative plasticizers showed the clearest associations with shorter gestational age and with lower birth weight relative to gestational age. For example, the sum of diisononyl phthalate (DINP, CAS 28553-12-0) metabolites was associated with a 0.6-day younger gestational age. In addition, mothers with higher exposures to benzophenone 8 (BP-8, CAS 131-53-3), bisphenol F (BPF, CAS 620-92-8), and several PAHs tended to have babies that weighed less than expected for their gestational age, on average.
The authors concluded that their studies “indicate that reducing gestational exposure to chemicals, particularly phthalates or alternative plasticizers and PAHs, could promote healthy deliveries and better child outcomes.” The findings reinforce concerns about prenatal exposure to plastic-associated chemicals, particularly phthalates, and highlight the importance of reducing exposure during pregnancy.
The study measured a total of 113 analytes in urine samples taken from 5319 women at mid-pregnancy who were enrolled in the Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2021. In addition, it assessed the gestational age at birth and birth weight of their children. According to the authors, it is one of the largest and most comprehensive studies to simultaneously assess multiple classes of chemicals during pregnancy.
Reference
Buckley, J.P. et al. (2026). “Gestational Exposure to 10 Classes of Priority Chemicals and Birth Outcomes in the ECHO Cohort.” JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.18883
