Hospitals Ban Certain Plastics To Protect Babies

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is not going to show up on any vocabulary quiz anytime soon, but it's a word every parent should learn.

DEHP is a chemical use to make certain plastics flexible, and leading hospitals are now moving to phase out its use on newborn babies out of concern that its hormone-mimicing effects may "suppress testosterone, impair fertility and alter the development of reproductive organs," according to today's USA Today.

Intravenous tubing that delivers blood or other essential fluids to newborns can be a life-saving necessity, and doctors aren't quick to remove an important medical tool.

The move to reduce or eliminate the use of these plastics should be seen as a sign that some of the country's smartest medical professionals are taking seriously the problem of endocrine disruption -- the ability of certain man-made chemicals to mimic hormones and alter body processes even at minute concentrations.

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