Key facts
- Each tenfold increase in Dinch exposure was linked to a 27-gram reduction in newborn birth weight, the NYU study found.
- Up to 70% of women in the sample showed Dinch in their urine, according to the study.
- Higher Dinch levels increased the risk of a child being classified as small for gestational age, below the 10th percentile.
- Hispanic mothers and those with lower education levels were more likely to have children affected by Dinch, the study found.
- German chemical company BASF is among Dinch's major producers, and global output reached 400,000 tons in 2024.
- Lead author Leonardo Trasande said chemicals should be tested for safety before widespread public exposure.
A peer-reviewed study by New York University Langone Health, published November 7, 2026, linked prenatal exposure to the plasticizer Dinch to lower birth weight and shorter birth length. The paper is the first to connect Dinch to those outcomes, the authors wrote.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 6,600 pregnancies collected under the National Institutes of Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (Echo) Program. Up to 70% of women showed Dinch in their urine, and higher levels increased the risk of a child being classified as small for gestational age, or below the 10th percentile for babies born at the same stage of pregnancy. Each tenfold increase in Dinch exposure corresponded to a 27-gram reduction in newborn birth weight, against an average newborn weight of about 3,400 grams. Hispanic mothers and those with lower education levels were more likely to have children affected, the study found.
Dinch, formally 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester, is used to make plastic more flexible and durable and appears in soft plastic food packaging in the United States and European Union, as well as children's toys, medical devices, some textiles and flooring. Industry adopted it as a claimed high-safety alternative after US and EU regulators began acting on toxic phthalates such as DEHP in the 2000s. German chemical company BASF is among its major producers, and global production volume rose from 25,000 tons in 2002 to 400,000 tons in 2024.
Leonardo Trasande, a lead author on the NYU paper, said: "Chemicals should be properly tested for their safety before they become a widespread exposure for unwitting people in the general public." He said the findings "raise pretty serious concerns about regrettable substitution" and called for stronger oversight of chemicals used in food packaging, pointing to the plastics treaty under negotiation at the United Nations.
The Switzerland-based Food Packaging Forum said it is concerned about Dinch and the lack of health information around it, and is conducting its own health research on the chemical. Previous research on animals and human cells has found that Dinch by-products can interfere with hormones that guide fetal development, the NYU authors wrote.