PVC plastic is present in our lives in a range of products, including piping, window blinds, and medical devices. Recent research links organotin dibutyltin (DBT), a chemical found in PVC, to a higher incidence of obesity and prediabetes in mice that were exposed to the chemical in utero. Given the widespread use of DBT, researchers believe most people are exposed to the chemical.
About 38 percent of adults and 17 percent of children in the US are obese, while more than 30 million people suffer from diabetes and over 100 million are prediabetic. Growing evidence points toward environmental triggers that can activate certain receptors responsible for oxidative stress or tissue dysfunction. Given the scale of these public health concerns, the time is ripe for increased scrutiny of DBT and a precautionary approach toward its usage.
The Health Care Without Harm Safer Chemicals Program is working to bring you more PVC-free options for medical devices in order to provide health care institutions with the safest and healthiest products.
[Source: Environmental Health News]