Common Phthalate Tied to Coronary Risk in Car Plant Workers

TOPLINE:

Exposure to monoethyl phthalate (MEP) — a chemical commonly found in industrial and personal care products — was associated with a substantially elevated risk for subclinical coronary atherosclerosis among men working in a car assembly unit.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to assess whether urinary phthalates showed any association with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.
• They included 1119 Spanish male workers (mean age, 50.9 years) from a car assembly plant.
• A total of 11 urinary phthalate metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.
• Participants underwent CT scans between January 2011 and December 2014 to determine coronary artery calcium; subclinical coronary atherosclerosis was defined as a coronary artery calcium score ≥ 100 Agatston units.

TAKEAWAY:

• Subclinical coronary atherosclerosis was identified in 114 men (10.2%).
• MEP was the phthalate with the highest median concentration; men with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis had a higher median MEP concentration than those without the condition (126.1 vs 99.3 µg/g creatinine).
• Each 1-unit increase in the natural logarithm of MEP was associated with a 21% higher prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.02-1.44).
• Monoisobutyl phthalate and mono-n-butyl phthalate showed a positive association with the condition, but this association did not reach statistical significance.

IN PRACTICE:

“Educational strategies might complement cardiovascular prevention by promoting behaviors that reduce phthalate exposure, such as choosing fragrance-free products, preferring glass containers over plastics, and minimizing ultraprocessed food consumption,” the researchers noted.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Diana María Mérida, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. It was published online on August 06, 2025, in The American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

LIMITATIONS:

This cross-sectional study could not imply whether phthalates caused subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. The findings may not be generalisable to women, older adults, or individuals from different occupational backgrounds or socioeconomic groups. Urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites reflect only short-term exposure, but chronic diseases are usually linked to long-term exposures.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by the Health Research Fund from the State Secretary of R+D and FEDER/FSE, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.