Exposed: The Top Industry Myths on Phthalates

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MYTH #1: Phthalates are safe for kids and there is no need to worry about them in toys and other children’s products.
THE TRUTH: Decades of studies have demonstrated that phthalates are reproductive and developmental toxins that are harmful to children.
more on Myth #1 >

MYTH #2: DINP is the main phthalate found in toys and there is no need to worry about its presence.
THE TRUTH: DINP is not the only phthalate found in toys. Studies show DINP can pose a threat to health.
more on Myth #2 >

MYTH #3: There are no human studies that show phthalates are harmful.
THE TRUTH: Recent studies in humans have found adverse effects of phthalates.
more on Myth #3 >

MYTH #4: The European Union has declared phthalates safe.
THE TRUTH: The chemical industry frequently refers to a finding that phthalates are “safe” from a single risk assessment conducted in 2003 by the European Chemicals Bureau on DINP and DIDP in toys only. This report has been contradicted by other EU and scientific, peer-reviewed studies.
more on Myth #4 >

MYTH #5: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) concluded that phthalates are safe for children.
THE TRUTH: The CPSC study only studied one phthalate, DINP, and the study had many limitations.
more on Myth #5 >

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• Research studies in animals and humans have found that some phthalates can disturb normal hormonal processes and harm reproductive development, often at low levels of exposure. Exposures may produce developmental defects.
• Exposure to phthalates has been linked to altered levels of reproductive hormones in baby boys.
• Studies link the phthalate DINP to adverse impacts on the reproductive system, kidneys, liver, and blood.
• Phthalates are in our kids’ bodies. Human testing by the CDC finds phthalates in almost all of the population, with the highest levels in children ages 6 to 11 years and in women.

MYTH #2: DINP is the main phthalate found in toys and there is no need to worry about its presence.

THE TRUTH: DINP is not the only phthalate found in toys. Studies show DINP can pose a threat to health.

• A study by Environment California found the phthalates DEHP, BBP, DBP, DNOP, and DEP present in toys and did NOT find any DINP.
• An independent study by the San Francisco Chronicle found toys containing the phthalates DEHP and DNOP.
• Laboratory studies have shown that DINP causes malformations in male offspring, including permanent nipples, cleft phallus, and abnormal testes development.
• A recent study has found that phthalates and other hormone disrupting chemicals can act together to affect reproductive development, indicating chemicals like DINP may act in concert with others.

Sources:
Environment California. The Right Start: The Need to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals in Baby Products. October 2005. Online at: http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/center/improving-environmental-health/the-right-start

Kay, J. “San Francisco prepares to ban certain chemicals in products for tots, but enforcement will be tough-- and toy makers question necessity,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 16, 2006;

Rider CV, Furr J, Wilson VS, Gray LE Jr. A mixture of seven antiandrogens induces reproductive malformations in rats. Int J Androl. 2008 Jan 16. (OnlineEarly Articles). doi:10.1111/j.1365-2605.2007.00859.x. Link to abstract online.

MYTH #3: There are no human studies that show phthalates are harmful.

THE TRUTH: Recent studies in humans have found adverse effects of phthalates.

• In a study looking at the reproductive health of baby boys with varying levels of phthalate exposure, researchers found a link between greater exposure and abnormal genital development, including a reduced anogenital distance, smaller penis size, and a high prevalence of undescended testes.
• A 2005 study correlated higher levels of several phthalates with decreased hormone production after birth. The results link phthalate exposure to improperly functioning testes.

Sources:
Swan SH, Main KM, Liu F, Stewart et al. 2005. Decrease in anogenital distance among male infants with prenatal phthalate exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 113 (9): 1056-1061. Online at: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8100/8100.html, accessed Oct. 2007.

Main KM, Mortensen GK, Kaleva MM, Boisen KA, Damgaard IN et al. 2006. Human Breast Milk Contamination with Phthalates and Alternations of Endogenous Reproductive Hormones in Infants Three Months of Age. Environmental Health Perspectives 114 (2): 270-276. Online at : http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8075/8075.html, accessed Oct. 2007

MYTH #4: The European Union has declared phthalates safe.

THE TRUTH: The chemical industry frequently refers to a finding that phthalates are “safe” from a single risk assessment conducted in 2003 by the European Chemicals Bureau on DINP and DIDP in toys only. This report has been contradicted by other EU and scientific, peer-reviewed studies.

• The EU’s Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (SCTEE) overturned the European Chemicals Bureau finding in 2004.
• The European Union has restricted all six of the phthalates listed in the Children’s Safe Products Act.
• Other countries have followed suit. Several countries, including Japan, Mexico and Argentina have banned the use of phthalates in children’s toys.

For a summary of the European Union’s actions to protect children from exposure to phthalates, see: Europa-Activities of the European Union-Summaries of Legislation, http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l32033.htm.

MYTH #5: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) concluded that phthalates are safe for children.

THE TRUTH: The CPSC study only studied one phthalate, DINP, and the study had many limitations.

• Although this 2001 CPSC report is commonly cited as proof that DINP in toys is safe, the Executive Summary of the report notes that longer exposure (over 75 minutes of mouthing toys per day) may result in risk. Many parents know that some children mouth a toy for more than 75 minutes per day.
• The study only looked at one source of exposure--mouthing toys. Children are exposed to phthalates through many other sources of exposures, including food, house dust and indoor air exposures due to other phthalate-containing products.
• Despite the conclusion that DINP is safe, the CPSC asked toy manufacturers to voluntarily remove DINP from rattles, teethers, and toys for kids under 3 years old in 1998.
• Most concerningly, the CPSC study only considered liver toxicity when determining the safety of DINP and did not consider current science showing reproductive toxicity.

Source:
2001 report to the CPSC by the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel on DINP. Online at: http://www.cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/FOIA/Foia01/os/dinp.pdf

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