The risks of everyday plastics may go beyond environmental concerns, affecting our reproductive health on a cellular level. Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), a common plastic additive found in toys, cleaning products, food packaging, and cosmetics, has been linked to reproductive and developmental impairments. A recent study in worms found that BPP induced abnormalities in chromosome segregation and increased cell death in reproductive cells.

Researchers exposed C. elegans, a type of roundworm, to four different concentrations of BBP: 1, 10, 100, and 500 micromolar. Then, they measured the chemical’s effects on the worms' chromosomes and cell structure while tracking its metabolism into two primary byproducts: monobutyl phthalate and monobenzyl phthalate.

They found that exposure to 10 micromolar BBP induced considerable cellular disruption, increasing germ cell apoptosis, abnormalities in chromosome structure, and elevated levels of DNA damage throughout the reproductive tissues. The compound also triggered increased oxidative stress and affected critical genes involved in cell cycle progression and oxidative metabolism.

These findings suggest that BBP exposure profoundly affects reproductive health by impairing the cellular processes necessary for healthy chromosome segregation and genomic stability. A person’s phthalate burden may contribute to poor metabolic function, inflammation, and cognitive dysfunction. Learn how sauna use induces substantial sweat losses, promoting the excretion of toxic compounds like BBP.