Brian Bienkowski

About Brian Bienkowski

Brian Bienkowski is the managing editor at The New Lede.

Posts by Brian Bienkowski:

April 29, 2025

Common plastic chemicals linked to 356,000 annual heart disease deaths worldwide

By Brian Bienkowski

Chemicals used to make plastics more flexible are linked to more than 356,000 deaths annually across the globe, creating what researchers called a “substantial global health burden,” according to a new peer-reviewed study.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal eBiomedicine, is the first to estimate heart disease deaths from exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), a class of phthalate chemicals that are used in raincoats, food packaging, shower curtains, PVC flooring and pipes, IV bags and other items. The chemicals make plastics softer and more pliable but are associated with multiple health problems, including hormone disruption, obesity, diabetes, infertility, cancer and heart problems.

The study does not prove DEHP causes heart-related deaths, however, it adds to evidence that exposure to the widespread chemicals — and the plastics that carry them — could raise people’s risk of heart disease.

The new study comes as US regulators are undertaking a risk evaluation of DEHP to see if it requires further regulation and are accepting public comments on the review until May 6. The study also adds to a global debate over how to limit plastics and other chemicals linked to human and environmental health problems.

The researchers used environmental and health data from 200 countries and territories to estimate DEHP exposure and compared this to 2018 mortality data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent population health research organization. The researchers estimated DEHP exposure contributed to 356,238 deaths, which represents 13% of all global deaths from heart disease in 2018 among people aged 55 to 64. The authors calculated these premature deaths caused a $510 billion economic burden.

People from countries in the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific accounted for roughly half the estimated deaths. India had the highest estimated DEHP-linked heart disease death total, with more than 100,000.

April 23, 2025

$9 trillion in heat damages traced to 5 fossil fuel giants, study finds

By Dana Drugmand

Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers have likely caused trillions of dollars in economic damages due to intensifying heatwaves over the last 30 years, according to new peer-reviewed research.

The top five emitters – Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Gazprom (Russia), Chevron (US), ExxonMobil (US), and BP (British), respectively – are responsible for about $9 trillion in heat-related damages, according to the study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The analysis is the first to tie economic losses from extreme heat to emissions from individual fossil fuel companies, according to the study, and could bolster climate change-focused litigation against polluters.

“This work helps build the foundation for holding those who contributed most to climate harm accountable for its consequences,” said Delta Merner, lead scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Science Hub for Climate Litigation, who was not involved in this study.

The study calculates global economic losses due to extreme heat stemming from the emissions of over 100 of the largest fossil fuel and cement producers, known as the carbon majors, between 1991 and 2020, concluding that the global economy would be $28 trillion – roughly the annual total U.S. GDP – richer without the carbon majors’ greenhouse gas emissions.

The study estimates that global economic losses from intensifying heat attributable to each of these five carbon majors ranged from $1.45 trillion to over $2 trillion.

April 22, 2025

FDA moves to phase out petroleum-based food dyes

By Brian Bienkowski

Federal health officials announced plans Tuesday to phase out synthetic food dyes made from petroleum, marking a significant shift in how the U.S. regulates chemical additives in food.

Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, along with other Trump administration officials, announced a series of moves to rid the American food supply of the dyes, including revoking authorization for two food dyes (Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B), working with industry to eliminate six other synthetic dyes by the end of next year and authorizing four new natural color additives in coming weeks.

The agencies will also work with the National Institutes of Health to research how food additives impact children.

“For the last 50 years, we have been running one of the largest uncontrolled scientific experiments in the world on our nation’s children, without their consent,” Makary said at a Tuesday press conference, flanked by children holding signs that read ‘Make America Healthy Again’ and ‘Better Food, Brighter Futures’.

“And today we’re removing these petroleum-based chemicals from their food supply,” Makary added.

The dyes are commonly found in candy, sodas, cereals, sports drinks and other highly processed foods, but also show up in unexpected items like casserole mixes, yogurts and salad dressings. The dyes are linked to health problems including hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children. Health advocates have long argued that the bright food colorings also make unhealthy foods more attractive to children.

This is “not a silver bullet that will make American children healthy, but is one important step,” Makary said.