Hospitals Move to Phase Out Chemical

A hormonelike chemical in some plastics could affect the health of newborns.

ByABC News
January 8, 2009, 1:23 AM

Aug. 15, 2007 — -- Newborns in hospital intensive care units are vulnerable in so many ways.

Their paper-thin skin can be torn by medical tape. Their lungs may not be developed enough to supply their tiny bodies with oxygen. Their immature immune systems leave them susceptible to a wide world of germs.

Now, a growing number of hospitals are trying to protect babies like these from a newly recognized threat — the medical equipment that provides them with lifesaving blood, medicine or nutrition.

The plastic used in intravenous tubing, blood bags and other products DEHP, or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate can leach a hormone-like chemical linked to reproductive problems, says Richard Grady, interim chief of pediatric urology at Seattle's Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center. While doctors agree that the benefits of specialized care for newborns outweigh the potential risks from plastic devices, leading medical organizations now say that hospitals should find safer substitutes whenever possible.

Grady notes that even minute amounts of hormones could cause problems for infants whose organs are still developing, especially newborn boys who spends weeks in neonatal intensive care units, or NICUs.

Manufacturers say their products are safe and note that there are only a few human studies of DEHP. Many doctors and nurses say they're concerned, however, about animal studies that suggest the chemical can suppress testosterone, impair fertility and alter the development of reproductive organs.

The Seattle hospital and more than 100 others across the USA have pledged to begin phasing out DEHP. Influential groups such as the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association in recent months also have urged hospitals to find safer substitutes.

Officials at hospitals such as Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford and John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, Calif., say they've saved money since making the switch. While some DEHP-free products are cheaper, others are lighter, which saves money on waste disposal.