What is diethyl phthalate?

Diethyl phthalate is a colorless liquid that has a bitter, disagreeable taste. This synthetic substance is commonly used to make plastics more flexible. Products in which it is found include toothbrushes, automobile parts, tools, toys, and food packaging.

Diethyl phthalate can be released fairly easily from these products, as it is not part of the chain of chemicals (polymers) that makes up the plastic. Diethyl phthalate is also used in cosmetics, insecticides, and aspirin.

How might I be exposed to diethyl phthalate?

Eating food that was contained in plastic packaging.

Eating contaminated fish and shellfish.

Drinking contaminated water near waste sites and landfills that contain diethyl phthalate.

Using consumer products that contain it.

How can diethyl phthalate affect my health?

No information is available regarding possible effects caused by diethyl phthalate if you breathe, eat, or drink it, or if it touches your skin. Very high oral doses of diethyl phthalate have caused death in animals, but brief oral exposures to lower doses caused no harmful effects.

Weight gain was decreased in animals that ate high doses of diethyl phthalate for a long time. The liver and kidneys of these animals were larger than normal, but not from any harmful effects of diethyl phthalate.

It is not known if diethyl phthalate causes birth defects in humans. Fewer live babies were born to female animals that were exposed to diethyl phthalate throughout their lives.

The presence of an extra rib has been noted in newborn rats whose mothers were given very high dietary doses of diethyl phthalate, but this effect is not considered harmful by all scientists.

Some birth defects occurred in rats whose mothers received high doses of diethyl phthalate by injection during pregnancy. Humans are not exposed to diethyl phthalate by this route.

Diethyl phthalate can be mildly irritating when applied to the skin of animals. It can also be slightly irritating when put directly into the eyes of animals.

How likely is diethyl phthalate to cause cancer?

Diethyl phthalate placed directly on the skin of rats daily for 2 years was not carcinogenic. Liver tumors were seen in mice that had diethyl phthalate placed directly on their skin daily for 2 years. This type of tumor is common in mice, and the smallest dose resulted in a similar number of tumors as the largest dose.

It is not clear if diethyl phthalate will cause a similar effect in humans. Other studies of cancer in humans or animals exposed to diethyl phthalate were not located

Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to diethyl phthalate?

There is no routine medical test to show if you have been exposed to diethyl phthalate. However, it has been measured in semen, fat, and kidney tissue in laboratory studies. These tests aren't available at most doctors' offices, but can be done at special laboratories that have the right equipment.

Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? The EPA requires that spills or accidental releases into the environment of 1,000 pounds or more of diethyl phthalate be reported to the EPA.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommend a maximum concentration of 5 milligrams of diethyl phthalate per cubic meter of air (5 mg/m³) in workplace air for an 8- to 10-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological Profile for diethyl phthalate. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.

Where can I get more information?

ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational and environmental health clinics.

Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department if you have any more questions or concerns.

For more information, contact:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Division of Toxicology

1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32

Atlanta, GA 30333

Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)

FAX: (770)-488-4178

The CDC report on Exposure to Chemicals
Phthalates
General Information

Phthalates are industrial chemicals that can act as plasticizers, which, when added to plastic, impart flexibility and resilience. Many consumer products contai phthalates. Among these products are vinyl flooring; adhesives, detergents; lubricating oils; solvents; automotive plastics; plastic clothing, such as raincoats; and personal-care products, such as soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, nail polish; and some medical pharmaceuticals. Phthalates are widely used in flexible polyvinyl chloride plastics, such as plastic bags, food packaging, garden hoses, inflatable recreational toys, blood-storage bags, intravenous medical tubing, and children's toys. Soil and water contamination can be greatest in areas of industrial use and waste disposal.

Several of the phthalates produce testicular injury, liver injury, liver cancer, and teratogenicity in rodent studies, but these effects either have not been demonstrated when tested in non-human primates or people or have not been investigated.

Phthalates have week or no estrogenic, antiestrogenic, or androgenice activity in vitro, although not all metabolites have been tested and have shown no estrogenic activity in vivo. However, in animal studies, several phthalates show antiandrogenic activity and exposure to high doses of 2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and benzybutyl phthalate (BzBP) during the fetal period have produced lowered testosterone levels, testicular atrophy, and Sertoli cell abnormalities in male animals, and, at higher doses, ovarian abnormalities in female animals. Phthalate levels in men from an infertility clinic have been associated with several parameters of sperm analysis.

The entire report is available from the CDC.