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Check it! numerous people, including newborns, are being exposed to a toxin via medical products, indicates a recent report. Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (dehp), the toxin, is found in products made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). dehp is added to PVC so that it gets softened to manufacture products like blood bags, urine bags and tubes.

The report, Preventing Harm from Phthalates, Avoiding PVC in Hospitals, has been released by Health Care Without Harm, a coalition of 437 organisations. At least 48 products used in European hospitals were tested. Almost 39 products contained dehp, which accounted for 17 to 41 per cent of the total weight of the product. Since dehp is not chemically bound to PVC, it leaches from PVC products depending on a variety of factors, including storage and usage temperatures. Particularly troubling is the

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