Paris, France ---One in 10 premature births in the United States have been linked to pregnant women being exposed to chemicals in extremely common plastic products, a large study said on Wednesday. The chemicals, called phthalates, are used to soften plastic and can be found in thousands of consumer items including plastic containers and wrapping, beauty care products and toys. Phthalates have been known for decades to be "hormone disruptors" which affect a person's endocrine system and have been previously linked to obesity, heart disease, some cancers and fertility problems. READ:Microplastics: Why we now already breathe, ingest killer plastics Becau...Keep on reading: One in 10 premature births in US linked to plastic chemicals: study