Phthalate and Phthalate Metabolite Standards

Phthalates are a class of industrial chemicals used to increase the flexibility, durability, transparency, and longevity of plastics. Phthalates were first introduced in the 1920s, gaining increased popularity as a component in polyvinylchloride (PVC) beginning in 1931. There have been concerns of anti-androgenic effects from phthalate exposure. The main exposure route is through ingestion of phthalates that have leached into food (via plastic containers, for example), but human exposure to phthalates also occurs through inhalation and dermal contact. Infants and children are particularly susceptible to phthalate exposure through personal-care products and mouthing toys. They exhibit a greater adverse effect upon exposure because of their increased dosage per unit body surface area, metabolic capabilities, and developing endocrine and reproductive systems.¹

The European Union has restricted the use of some phthalates in children’s toys since 1999, and the United States has followed suit by limiting the usage of certain phthalates in children’s toys and childcare products. Despite these restrictions, the physical properties of polymers and need for plasticizers remain unchanged, and manufacturers have turned to related alternative plasticizers, such as terephthalate esters, cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid esters, and trimellitic acid esters. Much less is known about the health effects and levels of exposure in humans of these compounds, but CIL has recently produced standards for the analysis of the primary and in some cases one or more of the secondary metabolites of a representative set of target compounds chosen by the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS).²

➤ Standards for Environmental, Food, Water, and Exposure Analysis

 Phthalates, Related Plasticizers, and Metabolites