Great news for anyone who assumed "high safety" on a chemical label meant anything: a new peer-reviewed study from NYU Langone Health has found that Dinch, the plasticizer the industry rolled out as a nontoxic alternative to phthalates, is linked to lower birth weight and fetal development complications. The chemical is formally named 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester, which is almost as long as the list of things it may be doing to your unborn child.

Dinch is widely used in soft plastic food packaging in the United States and European Union, and also turns up in children's toys, medical devices, some textiles, flooring, and other consumer goods. It is found in kitchen staples like cling film and plastic wine corks - because nothing says "premium vintage" like a hormone disruptor.

The NYU analysis of federal US health data examined over 6,600 pregnancies from the National Institutes of Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (Echo) Program. Up to 70% of women showed Dinch in their urine, and higher levels increased the risk of the child being classified as "small for gestational age" - below the 10th percentile for babies born at the same stage of pregnancy. Each tenfold increase in Dinch exposure resulted in a 27-gram reduction in newborn birth weight. For context, an average newborn weighs about 3,400 grams (roughly 7.5lbs). Hispanic mothers and those with lower education levels were more likely to have children affected by Dinch, the study found.

This is the first paper to link Dinch to lower birth weights and birth lengths. Fetal growth problems can raise the risk for heart disease, learning difficulties, obesity, and other issues that can echo into adolescence and adulthood, the authors wrote. Previous research on animals and human cells found that Dinch by-products can interfere with the hormones in a pregnant woman that guide fetal development, and may trigger inflammation that affects how nutrients and oxygen reach the baby.

The chemical's journey to your kitchen shelf is a masterclass in regulatory whack-a-mole. After US and EU regulators began taking action in the aughts over toxic phthalates such as DEHP, industry increased its use of Dinch. German chemical giant BASF is among Dinch's major producers, and overall global production volume jumped from 25,000 tons in 2002 to 400,000 tons in 2024. That's a 16-fold increase, in case you were wondering how quickly "safe" can scale.

This process is called "regrettable substitution," and it is depressingly common. Many chemical companies and goods producers replaced the most dangerous PFAS "forever chemicals," such as PFOA, with GenX compounds - only for years of research to find the latter more toxic. It's like swapping a landmine for a bear trap and calling it an upgrade.

"Chemicals should be properly tested for their safety before they become a widespread exposure for unwitting people in the general public," said Leonardo Trasande, a lead author on the NYU paper. He added that the findings "raise pretty serious concerns about regrettable substitution" and "underscore the need for stronger oversight of chemicals used in food packaging and other household products by requiring they be tested before they are introduced to the market, instead of after they are connected to health concerns." Trasande noted that the plastics treaty under negotiation at the United Nations is an opportunity to establish better policies.

Researchers with the Switzerland-based Food Packaging Forum said they are concerned about Dinch and the lack of health information around it. There is evidence that it migrates from food packaging into food, and levels in the EU population have been increasing across recent decades. The Food Packaging Forum is currently conducting health research on Dinch.

In the meantime, women can protect themselves and their children by buying plastic-free products as much as possible, including clothing and toys. Look for food at the grocery store that comes in glass packaging, and use glass or wood storage and utensils in the kitchen. Or, you know, just wait for the next "safe" chemical to be unveiled and hope for the best. History suggests that's a bold strategy.