Should babies in the NICU be kept off enteral feeds with phthalate plastic tubing?
Yes. Newborns get high phthalate doses from feeding tubes during NICU stays.
What's actually in it
Newborn babies in the NICU often need feeds through a soft plastic tube. Many tubes are vinyl softened with DEHP, DINCH, or DEHTP. The plasticizers leach into the milk or formula moving through the tube. Newborns clear plasticizers slower than older kids.
What the research says
A 2025 study in Environ Sci Technol measured how much phthalate and alternative plasticizer newborns get through enteral nutrition. The doses were much higher than what adults absorb in everyday life. Even DINCH and DEHTP, which were marketed as safer, transferred at meaningful rates.
Parents in the NICU can ask the care team about DEHP-free tubing and silicone alternatives. Some hospitals already use them. At home, choose silicone-only tubing and storage bags for pumped milk. Glass and stainless steel storage are best when freezing or refrigerating breast milk.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Neonatal Exposure to Phthalate and Alternative Plasticizers via Enteral Nutrition | Environ Sci Technol | 2025 |
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