Phthalates Research Paper

Plastics today go hand and hand with the lifestyles people live in the United States. Plastic is used in also every medium of my day, like many other people would agree, as its use is unavoidable. I use plastic for containers holding soap and makeup, mediums for food and beverages, and many others things. With plastic having so much prevalence today, it’s hard to believe that it can also have adverse side effects on the body as well. Phthalates are used in the production of plastic to allow it to be durable and flexible; however, studies have shown that phthalates can rapidly leech into food or products and possibly effect reproduction and development. It’s becoming a growing need in society to correctly assess the amount of possible phthalates exposure people develop and what can be done to decrease the exposure. …show more content…
In assessing the amount of possible exposure to phthalates I had in a day, it was overwhelming to see how many times my food came into contact with plastic. Most of my exposure to phthalates came from plastic containers that my food and drinks sat in all day. The highest was the container I used to carry my sandwich around with me. Living in Arizona, I tend to overlook how hot it actually gets here and how that can have adverse effects on the things I carry around. Another proportion of my exposure came from the plastic bottles my water, milk and Gatorade were in. The water and Gatorade also had the same possible elevated exposure from carrying them around all