This story was originally published on the Environmental Health News website “Safe” limits on human exposure to phthalates set by national and international regulatory authorities may not adequately protect public health, according to a new analysis published in the journal Environmental Health on Monday. The study, synthesizing dozens of human studies, drew significant associations between phthalate exposure and human reproductive, neurodevelopmental, behavioral, hormonal, and metabolic health problems. It also underpins the need for reassessing regulatory standards with up-to-date science. A group of chemicals widely used in the plastic industry to soften plastic products, phthalates are omnipresent in modern life. From rubber duckies to garden hoses to fast food burgers, phthalates can easily sneak into our bodies and disrupt our endocrine system by heisting hormone receptors—such as the estrogen receptors or the retinoic acid X receptors—and messing with gene expression switches. Human and animal studies have linked phthalates to a wide …