Step away from the marigolds...  According to a recent study is it time to stop cleaning those bed sheets and get under them. A chemical, which often added to cleaning products, food packaging and even rubber ducks, has been linked to the lowering of a woman’s libido. Phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) are used to make plastics soft and flexible and the University of Rochester School of Medicine, New York, carried out a study on women that linked the chemical to some interesting results about the female sex drive. The tests showed that women with more of the chemical present in their systems were those who reported to have experienced a lack in sex drive. In an interview with the Telegraph, lead researcher Dr Emily Barrett explained: “We are learning that phthalates are endocrine disruptors, they interfere with normal hormones in the body – testosterone and it looks like oestrogen as well. “And we know that both testosterone and oestrogen are really important for many things, including libido, so we were interested in looking at whether women who had higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies have a lack of interest in sex”. Dr. Barrett conducted the tests on 360 pregnant aged in their 20s and 30s and those who showed to have the a higher level of the chemical were 2.5 times more likely libido than those with minimal levels. “If you think of a rubber duck or raincoat or shower curtain being soft and flexible”, Barrett said, “it’s likely it’s phthalates that give them that flexibility”. Dr. Barrett suggested that those experiencing problems to avoid fast food as “the leading source of some phthalates is food”. "One of the recommendations that might be made to potentially lower your exposure is to eat less processed food and to pick fresh things without packaging,” she said. Adding: "Organic foods are maybe better because phthalates are sometimes used in pesticides, But you are never going to be able to totally eliminate phthalates from your life unless policy changes".