India tops global heart deaths — and your shampoo may be to blame

Team TOI PlusTIMESOFINDIA.COM
May 2, 2025 | 16:59 IST
Image: AI

A global Lancet study has linked over 1 lakh heart disease deaths in India in 2018 to a plastic-softening chemical found in shampoo bottles and food packaging. Here’s what you should know



In 2018, over 1.03 lakh Indians died of heart disease triggered not by smoking, diet, or high cholesterol — but by exposure to a chemical used in shampoo bottles, cling wrap, and plastic packaging. The figure comes from a landmark global study published this week in eBioMedicine, a journal from The Lancet stable, which lays bare a previously under-recognised killer: di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP).
Copyright © 2024 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service.