Phthalates Everywhere — Chromatography Tests the Plasticizer

The health implications of phthalate exposure has been extensively studied in recent years. With regulations in place to ban the use of phthalates in some children’s toys and electrical equipment — phthalate use is continuously under the microscope.

A group of researchers from Peking University has reported on a possible link between phthalate levels in women’s urine and an increased risk of miscarriage in pregnant women. But what are phthalates and what did the researchers find?

What are phthalates?

Phthalates are found everywhere, in fact some people think it is almost impossible to avoid phthalates. They are found in many household products and are a common raw material in manufacturing. Phthalates are made by reacting phthalic anhydride with an alcohol — from methanol up to tridecyl alcohol — chemically they are esters of phthalic acids — giving a large class of compounds known as phthalates.

Phthalates are most commonly used are as plasticizers or solvents for plastics and they can be found in products as diverse as pharmaceuticals, flooring, toys and food packaging — hence the reason it is almost impossible to avoid them. They are incorporated into plastic products during the manufacturing phase of the plastic by heating the plastic and phthalate together and then cooling. The phthalates do not react with the plastic, rather they entangle themselves in the plastics carbon chains and stop the extensive network of chains forming, thus reducing the rigidity of the plasticized plastic.

Unfortunately, this lacks of bonding means the phthalates can escape more easily than if they were bonded with the plastic. Hence the reason why we detect them in all sorts of places they shouldn’t be — including the environment and the human body.

Health problems

There are many different phthalate species, and different phthalates are thought to have different health impacts and be used in different products. In 2005 the European Union banned the use of certain phthalates in toys and child care products.

DEHP, DBP and BBP were banned in toys and childcare products, whilst three other phthalates were banned in childcare products that children were likely to chew or suck on. Chromatography is one of the key techniques used in testing phthalates as discussed in the article, Optimising Analysis of Phthalates in Plastic Toys Using the Agilent 1290 Infinity Method Development Solution.

Phthalates in pregnancy

Previous studies have considered the exposure to phthalates in an occupational setting and the increased risk of miscarriage; and correlations between phthalate levels and increased levels of miscarriage have been reported. But there has not been many reports published on the links between phthalate levels from non-occupational sources and the increased risk of miscarriage.

The findings of the study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, concluded that exposure of the general public — in non-occupational settings — to certain phthalates did show an increase in the risk of miscarriage. But although a correlation has been shown, a cause has not.

Are you surrounded by phthalates?