Phthalates (pronounced 'thal-aytes') are a group of oily compounds mainly used to make stiff plastics flexible without compromising their strength and durability. Phthalates are biodegradable, and do not accumulate in the bodies of people or animals. They are widely incorporated into consumer products such as nail polish, perfumes, adhesives, paint pigments, car seats, hair sprays, vinyl flooring (PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride), wallpaper, deodorants, hair mousse, hand and body lotion, toys, food packaging, and household products, and also in medical supplies such as medical bags, including blood and food bags.

UPDATE - Common chemical 'damages sperm'- BBC News Online

In the last few years, research has begun to show that phthalates may cause problems with the development of male reproductive organs. Other research, based on the exposure of adults to phthalates, produced a link to cancer. A proportion of this research appears to have been flawed, and not enough appears to have been done, resulting in confusion over whether they are a health problem or not.

The European Union has ordered the phase out of two phthalate compounds, DEHP and DBP (abbreviations explained below), in cosmetics, and has already banned both from children's toys likely to be put in the mouth. In 1998 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission asked manufacturers of toys, dummys (pacifiers) and medical supplies to remove the more toxic phthalates from their products.

On the other hand, the US Cosmetic Ingredients Review Panel has just approved the continued use of phthalates as "safe as currently used". However Charlotte Brody, executive director of Heath Care Without Harm says "The panel essentially said that, yes, phthalates can be dangerous, but not in the low levels present in cosmetics. However, the panel failed to act on the scientific reality that consumers are repeatedly exposed to these chemicals through multiple beauty products and other common items, such as vinyl shower curtains, toys and car seats, and the levels are adding up to harm."

So what's the reality?

Phthalates come in several different 'varieties'. Research shows that some are safer than others. The most common varieties are listed below:

BBP (benzyl butyl phthalate) - used in floor tiles, adhesives, artificial leather
DINP (di-isononyl phthalate) used in PVC products - garden hoses to toys
DBP (di-butyl phthalate) - used in plastics, adhesives, cosmetics, dyes and food wraps
DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) - used in plastics used for toys, food packaging, household products, medical bags including blood and food bags
DEP - (di-butyl phthalate) - used in cosmetics
DMP - (di-ethyl phthalate) - used in cosmetics

What is the evidence? Much research has been done - far too much to list here. A few studies are summarised below and links to other research follow them:

• In a 1998 study, scientists linked cancer in adults to heavy exposure to some phthalates.
• Also in 1998, animal studies suggested phthalates could cause organ damage - chemists had demonstrated that they could leak from plastics during use.
• A federally-appointed panel of experts recently concluded, after 15 months and reviewing 1000 studies, that a few phthalates have the potential to disrupt boys' reproductive development.
• The first project of The National Toxicology Program's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (US) focussed on phthalates potential for causing birth defects or reproductive abnormalities. In past 3 years, animal experiments have indicated that low exposures can grossly alter the organs that in adults produce and deliver sperm, but only when the exposure takes place during a precise window of vulnerability - this period approximately corresponds to the end of a womans' first trimester of pregnancy - when many women don't yet realise they are pregnant.
• An EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) researcher gave pregnant rats daily doses of one of 6 phthalates throughout the periods when their pups' sexual organs were developing. DEHP, BBP and DINP triggered effects in male reproductive material. DINP was found to be less potent, but large quantities could still cause birth defects.

Research Links

www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm

www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthalates/2000-0901blountetal.htm
www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthalates/2002-0401brocketal.htm

www.noharm.org/library/docs/Pretty_Nasty.pdf

www.ecpi.org/health-and-environment/health-effects/reproductive-effects.htm


At the opposite end of the scale you have www.phthalates.org - funded by "The Phthalate Esters Panel (the Panel) of the American Chemistry Council [and] is composed of all major manufacturers and some users of the primary phthalate esters in commerce in the United States. Panel members include: BASF Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Ferro Corporation and Sunoco, Inc." The site informs us that the evidence is flawed, and that phthalates have been proven safe time and time again. They say "Because phthalates are so widely used, they have undergone extensive testing for possible health effects on humans or damage to the environment. Some areas of concern have been identified, which are under intense study ....... But in sum, the record of phthalates is excellent. phthalates do not persist in the environment; they biodegrade readily. If they make their way into the body, they do not accumulate in animals or humans; inside the body, they break down quickly and are excreted. Most important, in their long history of beneficial service to consumers, there has never been any scientifically validated evidence that they have ever caused anyone any harm."

Some companies, such as The Body Shop International, have chosen a precautionary approach - they are phasing out phthalates from all their products. If you would like to know which beauty products contain phthalates, visit www.nottoopretty.org. They have a list of phthalate-containing and phthalate-free beauty products.

So are phthalates safe? It appears that more research is needed to be certain, so basically we don't know. There is currently no requirement to state whether phthalates are used in a product, so choosing products which are phthalate-free as a precautionary measure is quite difficult.