Study Links Plastic Chemical DINCH to Lower Birth Weight
Researchers at NYU Langone Health report that prenatal exposure to the replacement plasticizer DINCH is associated with smaller newborns.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Babies
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A study by NYU Langone Health links DINCH, a plastic chemical adopted to replace phthalates, to lower birth weight in babies. The analysis drew on data from more than 6,600 pregnancies, with DINCH detected in the urine of 70% of the women studied.
Why it matters
DINCH is widely advertised as a non-phthalate plasticizer used in food packaging, so the findings challenge the assumption that replacing phthalates is inherently safer. The results add to existing concerns about plastic additives and infant health in the United States, where there is no nationwide ban on BPA.
The study covered more than 6,600 pregnancies, and DINCH was detected in the urine of 70% of participants. Each tenfold rise in DINCH exposure was associated with newborns weighing 27 grams less, but whether the link is causal remains unresolved.
The players
NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is the academic medical center in New York City whose researchers conducted the study on DINCH and birth weight.
The details
Researchers analyzed urine samples from pregnant women to measure DINCH exposure and compared those levels with birth weight and gestational age outcomes. Higher DINCH levels were also associated with an increased risk of a child being small for gestational age.
Timeline
2024: The European Union banned BPA from nearly all food-contact materials.
November 15, 2026: NYU Langone study on DINCH and birth weight was published.
Culture Shift
The EU's 2024 ban on BPA in nearly all food-contact materials marked a regulatory turn toward restricting plastic additives. The DINCH study suggests that replacement chemicals adopted after such restrictions warrant the same scrutiny.
Parents concerned about plastic exposure may want to review how food packaging and infant products are labeled and regulated. The findings indicate that the FDA's restrictions on BPA in baby bottles and infant formula packaging do not extend to DINCH.
The takeaway
Replacement chemicals are not automatically safer than the substances they replace, and the DINCH findings argue for testing new additives for effects on fetal growth before they enter wide use. Parents can reduce exposure by limiting heating food in plastic containers.
Further reading
For more on infant development and newborn health, see the Babies section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by New York Post.
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