Background

Phthalates are mainly used as plasticizers, i.e., substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. They are used primarily to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

They are found, among others, in plastic products, packaging of personal care products, food products, packaging of medicines, children's toys, paints, certain building materials, adhesives, soaps, electronic products and plastic bags.

 

The additives are not chemically bound to the polymer and can transfer to the surrounding media like air, soil and water within the lifespan of the plastic products, which also changes the mechanical properties of the plastics.

As an example, “PVC - amongst the most widely used polymers, contains the highest amounts of additives, with typically about 30% – 35% of phthalates like DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate). The additives are not chemically bound to the polymer and can transfer to the surrounding media like air, soil and water within the lifespan of the plastic products, which also changes the mechanical properties of the plastics”.

 

This review consistently observed high Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) concentrations in poultry, cooking oils and cream-based dairy products (≥300 μg/kg) across food monitoring studies.

 

The Risks

This study investigated the associations between allergic symptoms in children and the concentration of phthalate esters in settled dust collected from children’s homes in Sofia and Burgas, Bulgaria. Results: "A higher concentration of DEHP (Di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate) was found in homes of case children than in those of controls (1.24 vs. 0.86 mg/g dust)"!

 

Babies are at the highest risk for phthalate accumulation. Not only do they tend to put anything in their mouths, especially toys and plastic objects, they are also small in weight and any toxic molecule that gets in has a greater effect relative to their body weight.

 

A 2008 study that measured 9 phthalate metabolites in 163 infants who were born in 2000-2005, has found that “Infant exposure to lotion, powder, and shampoo were significantly associated with increased urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, monomethyl phthalate, and monoisobutyl phthalate, and associations increased with the number of products used. This association was strongest in young infants, who may be more vulnerable to developmental and reproductive toxicity of phthalates given their immature metabolic system capability and increased dosage per unit body surface area”.

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In a 2013 study published in JAMA  Pediatrics, concludes: “Women exposed to phthalates during pregnancy have significantly increased odds of delivering preterm. Steps should be taken to decrease maternal exposure to phthalates during pregnancy”.

Notice! The researchers found that women who were in the upper quartile of phthalates in their blood had more than twice the risk of preterm birth compared to women who were in the bottom quartile.

The study was conducted in a hospital in Boston when most of the subjects were white, educated and non-smokers. Only a minority of them consumed alcohol during pregnancy. (Smoking and alcohol are long known and proven risk factors for increasing the risk of premature birth). 

The researchers tested the levels of phthalates in the urine of 482 women. 3 samples were taken from each woman during pregnancy. 130 women gave birth prematurely (birth before week 37 of pregnancy). The 

researchers identified a statistically significant relationship between phthalate levels among all preterm infants and in cases of spontaneous preterm birth.

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In this 2014 study the authors start by saying: “There is evidence of declining trends in testosterone levels among men in recent decades, as well as trends in related conditions at multiple life stages and in both sexes”.

The study explored the “relationships between urinary concentrations of 13 phthalate metabolites and serum total testosterone levels among men, women, and children when adjusting for important confounders and stratifying by sex and age (6-12, 12-20, 20-40, 40-60, and 60-80 y).”

Results: "Multiple phthalates were associated with significantly reduced testosterone in both sexes and in differing age groups. 

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Reported In this research: “We found evidence that reduced levels of circulating testosterone were associated with increased phthalate exposure in several key populations, including boys ages 6-12, and men and women ages 40-60,” said one of the study’s authors, John D. Meeker, MS, ScD, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, MI. “This may have important public health implications, since low testosterone levels in young boys can negatively impact reproductive development, and in middle age can impair sexual function, libido, energy, cognitive function and bone health in men and women.”

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Phthalates "Carriers"

1. Phthalate in medications: This study, analysed US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the years 1999-2004, of the 7,999 persons with information on urinary phthalate concentrations, 6 reported using mesalamine formulations, some of which may include dibutyl phthalate (DBP); the mean urinary concentration of monobutyl phthalate, the main DBP metabolite, among these mesalamine users was 50 times higher than the mean for nonusers (2,257 microg/L vs. 46 microg/L; p < 0.0001)!

2. Phthalate in cosmetics: This study, examined the association between urinary concentrations of nine phthalate metabolites and breast cancer (BC) in Mexican women, that were exposed to the phthalates “used primarily as plasticizers of polyvinyl chloride and as additives in consumer and personal care products”. They conclude “We show for the first time that exposure to diethyl phthalate, the parent compound of MEP, may be associated with increased risk of BC (breast cancer)”.

3. A study done at the prestigious Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and published in 2010 examined the relationship between the mother's exposure to phthalates during pregnancy and the children's behavioral problems and cognitive function, years later, when the children were 4-9 years old.

4. This study concludes: “Behavioral domains adversely associated with prenatal exposure to LMW (Low Molecular Weight) phthalates in our study are commonly found to be affected in children clinically diagnosed with conduct or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders”

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Phthalates Removal

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1. Use only products that are 100% natural for baby hygiene where the line of ingredients is as short as possible! Do not use synthetic products.

2. Be careful with cosmetics. Purchase organic cosmetics and makeup products.

3. Prefer the purchase of games for children made of wood and not plastic and try to make sure that these are unpainted wooden products or those that have been used with ecological paints.

4. Avoid industrial foods that come packaged in plastic packaging. (also good for other reasons),

5. Try to avoid consumption of dairy products (and especially butter in relation to phthalates).

6. Reduce consumption of meat. When eating meat, it is highly desirable that it be organic meat. As mentioned, animal food products are the main source of exposure to phthalates.

7. Try to “cut down” the use of plastic bowls, plastic plates, kitchen utensils, etc.

8. Limit the purchase of new ones, to ones that are made of stainless steel, glass, wood or bamboo (with the hope that the varnish coating the wood and bamboo products does not contain toxic substances).

9. Limit the use of plastic bags for storage, starting with foods (e.g. foods that you put to the frigidaire). 

10. Avoid long duration storage of “things” in plastic bags - Phthalates “leakage” is intensified as the bags grow “older”.

 

More about Plastics at Home

1. Bisphenol A (BPA) - Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in some hard, clear plastics such as water bottles and baby bottles and in the lining of food cans. Bisphenols -A and -S are most widely publicized for, and commonly associated with, causing endocrine disruption in living things both human and animal.

2. Disposable Paper Cups: Disposable paper cups are coated with plastics. This study found that:

   • Exposure of the paper cups to hot water triggered the release of microplastics.

   • Ions were added into the water through the hydrophobic liners of the paper cups.

   • The analysis of the liners indicates the presence of heavy metals in them.

   • Surface properties of the liners deteriorated after exposure to hot water.

   • 4 out of 5 disposable paper cups were lined with HDPE grade of plastic.

3. Mineral Water: A study done in Germany and published in 2009 examined the safety of drinking mineral water that comes in plastic bottles, testing if there is no leakage of the plastic components into the water itself. What were the results of the study?
   Increased estrogenic activity was found in 7 out of 9 of the water samples that were in plastic bottles.
   In contrast, only 3 of the 9 water samples in the glass bottles were found to have increased estrogenic activity.
   All the water samples that were in the cartons (coated on the inside with a layer of plastic) showed a very increased estrogenic activity.
   A surprising discovery - out of the 4 springs from which the samples were taken, in 2 springs, the water showed estrogenic activity regardless of the type of packaging (plastic or glass).​