1.1 What is diethyl phthlate? |
1.2 What happens to diethyl phthlate when
it enters the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to diethyl
phthlate? |
1.4 How can diethyl phthlate enter and
leave my body? |
1.5 How can diethyl phthlate affect my
health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to diethyl phthlate? |
1.7 What recommendations has the federal
government made to protect human health? |
1.8 Where can I get more information? |
References |
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June 1995 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
Diethyl Phthalate |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for diethyl phthalate. It is one in a series of
Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and their
health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™,
is also available. This information is important because this
substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous
substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed,
personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are
present. For more information, call the ATSDR Information
Center at 1-888-422-8737.
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This Statement was prepared to give you
information about diethyl phthalate and to emphasize the human
health effects that may result from exposure to it.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified 1,397
sites on its National Priorities List (NPL). Diethyl
phthalate has been found in at least 248 of these sites, one
of which is located in Guam. However, we do not know
how many of the 1,397 NPL sites have been evaluated for diethyl
phthalate. As EPA evaluates more sites, the number of
sites at which diethyl phthalate is found may change.
This information is important for you to know because diethyl
phthalate may cause harmful health effects and because these
sites are potential or actual sources of human exposure to
diethyl phthalate.
When a chemical is released from a large
area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such
as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment as a chemical
emission. This emission, which is also called a release,
does not always lead to exposure. You can be exposed
to a chemical only when you come into contact with the chemical.
You may be exposed to it in the environment by breathing,
eating, or drinking substances containing the chemical or
from skin contact with it.
If you are exposed to a hazardous chemical
such as diethyl phthalate, several factors will determine
whether harmful health effects will occur and what the type
and severity of those health effects will be. These
factors include the dose (how much), the duration (how long),
the route or pathway by which you are exposed (breathing,
eating, drinking, or skin contact), the other chemicals to
which you are exposed, and your individual characteristics
such as age, sex, nutritional status, family traits, life-style,
and state of health.
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1.1
What is diethyl phthlate? |
Diethyl phthalate is a man-made colorless
liquid with a slight aromatic odor and a bitter, disagreeable
taste. Trade names include neantine, peilatinol A, and
solvanol. Diethyl phthalate is manufactured for many
uses. It is commonly used to make plastics more flexible.
Because diethyl phthalate is not a part of the chain of chemicals
(polymers) which makes up the plastics, it can be released
fairly easily from these products. These plastics are
found in products such as toothbrushes, automobile parts,
tools, toys, and food packaging. Diethyl phthalate is
also used in cosmetics, insecticides, and aspirin.
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1.2
What happens to diethyl phthlate when it enters the environment? |
Diethyl phthalate may enter the environment
in industrial waste waters, by evaporation into the air from
disposal sites, directly from consumer products, from the
burning of plastic products, and by leaking from landfills
into soil or water including groundwater. In air, diethyl
phthalate may break down into other products. It may
also be deposited on the ground or in water by rain.
Diethyl phthalate may also enter the environment by sticking
onto dust particles. If released into water, diethyl
phthalate may travel great distances in swiftly moving rivers.
In more slowly moving waters, microorganisms in the water
or sediment may break down some of the diethyl phthalate into
nontoxic products. Sewage bacteria from industrial facilities
may break down diethyl phthalate in waste waters. In
soils containing organic matter (matter with high levels of
carbon), diethyl phthalate may stick to particles where it
may eventually break down. If there is little organic
matter in the soil, diethyl phthalate may move down through
the soil and enter the groundwater. Many microorganisms
are able to break down diethyl phthalate to carbon dioxide
and other harmless products. Small amounts of diethyl
phthalate can build up in animals that live in water, such
as fish and oysters.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to diethyl phthlate? |
You may be exposed to diethyl phthalate
in consumer products and plastics. You may also be exposed
during the manufacturing or disposal of products that contain
diethyl phthalate. Most exposure will result from inhalation
of contaminated air or swallowing of contaminated drinking
water or foods. The measured levels of diethyl phthalate
in air, water, and soil are generally quite low. For
example, diethyl phthalate has been measured at hazardous
waste sites in the groundwater at 0.0125 parts of diethyl
phthalate per million parts (ppm) of water, in surface water
at 0.0121 ppm, and in soil at 0.039 ppm (on a weight basis,
a part per million is equivalent to one unit of weight, such
as one gram, of a chemical, in 1,000,000 grams of a medium,
such as water or soil). Diethyl phthalate has been found
in drinking water at concentrations of 0.00001–0.0046 ppm,
in industrial waste waters at 0.00001–0.060 ppm, in river
waters at 0.00006–0.044 ppm, and in sediments from other large
bodies of water (Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico) at up
to 0.042 ppm. The amount of diethyl phthalate in soil
is unknown. However, diethyl phthalate will probably
be rapidly decomposed by soil bacteria, so that little will
be taken up into plants. Diethyl phthalate has been
measured in indoor air (in a telephone switching office) at
0.00018–0.00022 ppm and in outdoor air (Newark, New Jersey)
at 0.00004–0.00006 ppm. Fish taken from contaminated
waters had up to about 2 ppm of diethyl phthalate in their
tissues. Oysters contained up to about 1 ppm.
Diethyl phthalate in plastic packaging may get into food and
has been found in packaged food (quiche) at concentrations
of about 2–5 ppm. The daily human intake of diethyl
phthalate has been estimated to be 4 milligrams (mg) based
on food intake, but the annual exposure from drinking contaminated
drinking water has been estimated to be quite low (0.0058
mg/year/person).
Occupational exposure to diethyl phthalate
is possible as a result of its use in plastics and other products
such as cosmetics and insect repellents. The National
Occupational Exposure Survey estimated that over 239,000 employees
could potentially be exposed to diethyl phthalate in the workplace.
Diethyl phthalate was found in plants that manufacture rubber
products at concentrations up to 0.0013 ppm.
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1.4
How can diethyl phthlate enter and leave my body? |
Diethyl phthalate can enter your body
when you breathe air, drink water, or eat food containing
it. It can also enter your body through your skin.
It is possible that exposure could occur near hazardous waste
sites, at manufacturing facilities, or through the use of
consumer products containing the substance. If you get
it on your skin, your body will probably absorb only a small
amount of it. We do not know how much you will absorb
if you breathe or eat it. Once it enters your body,
it breaks down into other chemicals, some of which are harmful.
Diethyl phthalate and its breakdown products will leave your
body mostly in the urine within about 2 days. Only small
amounts of the compound or its breakdown products will remain
in the tissues.
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1.5
How can diethyl phthlate affect my health? |
No information is available regarding
the possible effects caused by diethyl phthalate if you breathe,
eat, drink, or have skin contact with it. Because no
studies involving humans exposed exclusively to diethyl phthalate
are available, we must rely on studies in laboratory animals.
Furthermore, there is no information on the effects of breathing
diethyl phthalate in laboratory animals. Diethyl phthalate
has caused death in animals given very high doses by mouth,
but brief oral exposures to lower doses caused no harmful
effects. One effect found in animals that ate high doses
of diethyl phthalate for long periods of time was a decrease
in weight gain. This effect may have occurred because
they ate less food, or because they excreted more of the food
they ate. The livers and kidneys of these animals were
larger than normal, but not from any harmful effect.
Other studies noted the presence of an extra rib in rat fetuses
whose mothers were given very high dietary levels of diethyl
phthalate, but this effect is not considered harmful by all
scientists.
Diethyl phthalate is not known to cause
cancer in humans or animals. Unlike other phthalates
such as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diethyl phthalate does
not appear to affect the ability of male animals to father
babies (see ATSDR toxicological profile
for di[2-ethylhexyl] phthalate for more information on
this chemical). However, a decrease occurred in the
number of live babies born to female animals that were exposed
to diethyl phthalate throughout their lives. Some birth
defects occurred in newborn rats whose mothers received high
doses (approximately 3 g/kg) of diethyl phthalate by injection
during pregnancy. However, humans are not exposed to
diethyl phthalate this way, and no information is available
on whether this chemical can cause birth defects when given
by mouth.
Diethyl phthalate can be mildly irritating
when applied to the skin of animals. It can also be
slightly irritating when put directly into the eyes of animals.
We have no information on the health effects of diethyl phthalate
when applied to the skin for long periods of time.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to diethyl phthlate? |
Chemical tests are available to determine
diethyl phthalate levels in semen, fat, and kidney tissues.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The government has developed regulations
and guidelines for diethyl phthalate. These are designed
to protect the public from the possible harmful health effects
of the chemical. Under laws that relate to Superfund
sites, EPA has identified diethyl phthalate as a hazardous
substance. This decision is based primarily on the large
number of Superfund sites where diethyl phthalate is found.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) regulates levels of diethyl phthalate in the workplace.
The maximum amount of diethyl phthalate allowed in workroom
air during an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek, is 5 milligrams
per cubic meter (mg/m³). See Chapter 7 for
more information on regulations and guidelines. The
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
also recommends a similar maximum air concentration of 5 mg/m³
for workplace exposure.
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1.8 Where can I get more information? |
If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact
your community or state health or environmental quality department or:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Information line and technical assistance:
Phone: 888-422-8737
FAX: (770)-488-4178
ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health
clinics. These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses
resulting from exposure to hazardous substances.
To order toxicological profiles, contact:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological
profile for diethyl phthlate. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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