Early exposure to chemicals found in plastics can pose significant health risks to children that last into adulthood, according to an analysis of hundreds of recent studies published in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

The review, which found children face an acute danger from plastics in the environment, focused on three classes of substances in plastics: phthalates, which make plastics flexible; bisphenols , which provide strength; and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) , which make materials heat-resistant and water-repellent.

These chemicals are found in everyday products such as food packaging, cosmetics and paper receipts, according to lead author Leonardo Trasande, a professor of paediatrics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York.

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