Study links prenatal Dinch exposure to lower birth weight

Global Dinch production rose from 25,000 to 400,000 tons

The peer-reviewed analysis used federal US health data on more than 6,600 pregnancies collected as part of the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes, or Echo, Program. NYU Langone researchers reported that up to 70% of the women had Dinch in their urine. They found that higher exposure levels were associated with a greater likelihood that a child would be classified as small for gestational age, meaning below the 10th percentile for babies born at the same stage of pregnancy.

Each tenfold increase in Dinch exposure was associated with a 27-gram reduction in newborn birth weight, the researchers found. An average newborn weighs about 3,400 grams, or 7.5 pounds. Hispanic mothers or those with lower education levels were more likely to have children affected by Dinch, the study found.

The paper is the first to link Dinch to lower birth weights and birth lengths. The NYU authors wrote that fetal growth problems can raise the risk of heart disease, learning difficulties, obesity and other issues that can echo into adolescence and adulthood.

Dinch — formally 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester — is used to make plastic more flexible and durable. It is widely used in soft plastic food packaging in the United States and European Union. The chemical also appears in children’s toys, medical devices, some textiles, flooring and other consumer goods. Common kitchen products containing it include cling film and plastic wine corks.

As health risks from common phthalate plasticizers became clear over the last few decades, industry began switching to Dinch and claiming that the new chemical had “high safety” and was nontoxic. The NYU analysis of federal health data suggests Dinch may not be as safe as industry claimed. Research into its health risks remains sparse, though what exists points toward the chemicals acting as hormone disruptors that can affect children’s development.

Previous research on animals and human cells has found that Dinch by-products can interfere with the hormones in pregnant women that guide fetal development, the NYU authors wrote. Those by-products may also trigger inflammation that affects how nutrients and oxygen reach the baby.

After US and EU regulators began taking action in the aughts over toxic phthalates such as DEHP, industry increased its use of Dinch. German chemical giant BASF is among the compound’s major producers, and overall global production jumped from 25,000 tons in 2002 to 400,000 tons in 2024.

Trasande said the NYU findings “raise pretty serious concerns about regrettable substitution.” The Guardian described “regrettable substitution” as a common process and said: “This resets the regulatory and research process, even though the new chemical is very similar in structure or has the same health risks.”

The Guardian cited PFAS “forever chemicals” as an example of the practice, saying many chemical companies and goods producers replaced PFAS such as PFOA with GenX compounds and that after years of research, the replacements had been found to be more toxic.

Researchers with the Switzerland-based Food Packaging Forum said they were concerned about Dinch and the lack of health information around it. They cited evidence that the chemical migrates from food packaging into food and that levels in the EU population have increased across recent decades. The group is conducting health research on Dinch.

“Chemicals should be properly tested for their safety before they become a widespread exposure for unwitting people in the general public,” said Leonardo Trasande, a lead author on the NYU paper.

“These results underscore the need for stronger oversight of chemicals used in food packaging and other household products by requiring they be tested before they are introduced to the market, instead of after they are connected to health concerns,” Trasande said, noting that the plastics treaty under negotiation at the United Nations is an opportunity to establish better policies.

To limit exposure, the report said women could protect themselves and their children by buying plastic-free products as much as possible, including clothing and toys; choosing grocery-store food in glass packaging; and using glass or wood for kitchen storage and utensils.