Plastics chemicals linked to diabetes in women; blacks and Hispanics most exposed

Plastics chemicals linked to diabetes in women; blacks and Hispanics most exposed
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/study-links-plastics-chemicals-to-womens-diabetes

 

"A group of chemicals found in household plastics and medical supplies is linked to higher rates of diabetes in women – up to double the rate for women with the highest levels, according to new research led by Harvard scientists. Blacks and Mexican Americans and women living in poverty are exposed to the highest levels of some of these compounds, called phthalates. "It's extremely likely that phthalates and other chemical contaminants will turn out to be a big part of the obesity and diabetes epidemic, but at this point we really don't know how these chemicals are interacting with each other, or with the human body," said Richard Stahlhut, a University of Rochester scientist who co-authored the study."