China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Sources of Endocrine Disrupters
Published in Jason W. Birkett, John N. Lester, Endocrine Disrupters in Wastewater and Sludge Treatment Processes, 2002
Of the phthalates, di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most significant because it is used as a plasticizer in large quantities. For example, in Germany in 1994/1995, 400,000 tons of phthalates (DEHP 250,000 tons; dibutylphthalate [DBP] 21,000 tons; butylbenzylphthalate [BBP] 9000 tons) were produced.38 Regarding environmental concentrations, DEHP tends to give the highest phthalate concentrations, ranging from 0.33 to 97.8 μg L−1 in surface waters, 1.74 to 182 μg L−1 in sewage effluents, 27.9 to 154 mg kg−1 in sewage sludge, and 0.21 to 8.44 mg kg−1 in sediments.38 Concentrations of DBP and BBP have been detected in much lower concentrations. Other sources exhibiting low concentrations of these substances, such as runoff from municipal and industrial dump sites, should not be overlooked.
Introduction to Basic Toxicology
Published in Armen S. Casparian, Gergely Sirokman, Ann O. Omollo, Rapid Review of Chemistry for the Life Sciences and Engineering, 2021
Armen S. Casparian, Gergely Sirokman, Ann O. Omollo
DEHP and DOP: DEHP is one of the most abundantly manufactured and used plasticizers, originally intended as a softening agent in PVC.DEHP leaching qualities first brought to recent public attention when PVC intravenous bags used in hospital blood transfusions were found to contain 800 times the safe concentration of DEHP.The sale of all phthalates in toys for children was banned by the CPSC as of February 10, 2009 in the United States. The city of San Francisco imposed an earlier ban on the manufacturing, sale, and distribution of all child care articles and toys containing most phthalates (and BPA) in June of 2006.DEHP is known to cause liver cancer and impair sperm counts.On July 5, 2015, the European Union through its R.E.A.C.H. program, banned the use of DEHP and other phthalates such as, DBP (di butyl phthalate) and BBP (benzyl butyl phthalate] in all child care products and toys and restricted the use of three other phthalates (DIDP, DNOP, and DINP) in products that children can put in their mouths.However, most other countries do not prohibit or restrict the use of phthalates as plasticizers.
Plasticizers
Published in Kathleen Hess-Kosa, Building Materials, 2017
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most widely used phthalate plasticizer, worldwide. It is inexpensive and used predominantly as a softening agent in PVC plastics. The content is 1%–40% of unreacted chemicals, the higher the DEHP content, the softer the plastic (EcoUS 1989). Thus, you may reasonably anticipate more off-gassing from the softer plastics. Building materials where DEHP are utilized include floor tiles, wall coverings, electrical wire, and cables. DEHP is also used as a plasticizer in rubber, cellulose, and styrene (U.S. EPA 2012).
Neuro-protective potentials of N-acetylcysteine and zinc against di(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate-induced neuro-histopathology and dys-regulations of Dopamine and Glutamate in rat brain
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2023
Adelaja Akinlolu, Victor Emojevwe, Raphael Uwejigho, Juliet Ilesanmi, Rokibat Owolabi, Abimbola Igandan
Phthalates are synthetic chemical esters of phthalic acid which are commercially used for impartation of resilience, pliability and elasticity to plastics and are referred to as “plasticizers”.[1] Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is ubiquitously present in the environment, and it is used as a plasticizer in polyvinyl chloride, packaging films and sheets, baby toys, blood storage bags and medical devices.[2–4] DEHP leaches easily from products because it is an unbound polymer. Hence, DEHP can contaminate plants, water, soil, indoor air and human foods.[5] The primary metabolite of DEHP is mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP). DEHP and MEHP are detectable in human tissues and body upon ingestion,[6] and are able to pass through the placental and blood-brain barriers resulting in fetal anomalies and nervous system dysfunctions.[6]
The contamination of DEHP on the surfaces of PVC sheet and risk of infants
Published in Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 2023
Hyuntae Kim, Taewoo Kim, Shin-Ichi Tanabe
Phthalates contaminating indoor environments could pose bigger risks to children than to adults. DEHP exposure routes for individuals living or working indoors include inhalation, dermal absorption, and oral ingestion of house dust, and risks thereof are evaluated accordingly (Wensing, Uhde, and Salthammer 2005; John et al. 2008). Xu et al. (2009) reported that 0.6 ug/kg/day of DEHP was inhaled on average; and the amount of DEHP absorbed through the skin was larger than the amount inhaled through breathing. Furthermore, the study also reported that the amount of DEHP orally ingested in the form of house dust was 1.6 times that of what the U.S. EPA has specified in its reference dose (Rfd: 20 ug/kg/day). Similar findings were also reported by other studies (Wensing, Uhde, and Salthammer 2005; Fromme et al. 2007). Lab experiment results found in this study also confirmed that the concentration of DEHP contained in mock-up dust was considerably larger than the concentration of DEHP on the surfaces of test specimens. As attested by many studies, the principal form of DEHP exposure route in children is oral ingestion of dust accumulated on flooring surfaces. However, Weschler and Nazaroff (2012) pointed out that the effects of dermal absorption of SVOCs present indoors could be much bigger than those of inhalation and oral ingestion of house dust. Based on the results of this study, it is expected that the country’s lifestyle habits and children’s behavioral characteristics will be related to the DEHP concentration of the floor surface and the risk assessment.
Plasticizers in the neonatal intensive care unit: A review on exposure sources and health hazards
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Lucas Panneel, Govindan Malarvannan, Philippe G. Jorens, Adrian Covaci, Antonius Mulder
Plasticizers are chemical compounds added to rigid plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to make them more flexible, softer and extend their lifetime. Phthalates are the best-known and most widespread group of plasticizers. Human exposure to these phthalates is ubiquitous and occurs from various environmental sources, including food, dust, pharmaceuticals and household products (Wallner et al., 2016). Another route of exposure is through plastic medical devices, which for a long time have been mainly plasticized with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Due to low cost, enhanced flexibility, elasticity and physical stability, DEHP is incorporated in many (invasive) medical devices, such as intravenous (IV) infusion sets, IV storage bags, endotracheal tubes, nasogastric tubes and blood bags (Lai & Bearer, 2008; Malarvannan et al., 2019). However, phthalates, such as DEHP, have been reported to leach from plastic products into the environment and the human body due to their lipophilic nature and noncovalent binding to PVC. Once the parent compound enters the body (see Figure 1), hydrolysis will occur, producing mono-ester metabolites (e.g., mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) from the initial di-ester DEHP). This process is catalyzed by lipases and esterases (Bui et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2019). MEHP undergoes further phase I metabolism into secondary oxidative or hydroxylated metabolites. Phase II metabolism involves the conjugation of all metabolites through glucuronidation (via UDP-glucuronyl-transferase) and enhances urinary excretion (Wang et al., 2019).