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10/25/2007: "Phthalates – That New Car Smell"
Phthalates are an additive that softens polyvinyl-chloride plastic. Phthalates are contained in everything from shower curtains to flooring to teething rings to cosmetics (to help with skin adhesion). In hospitals they are prevalent in plastic tubing (like the type I use with my oxygen) and IV bags (chemo). Any plastic that is soft and pliable most likely contains phthalates. As the plastic ages, phthalates will “sweat” into the air or they can come off on contact. That new car smell is the phthalates in the dashboard as they leave the plastic. This then results in it becoming hard and brittle.
The biggest concern with phthalates is their ability to disrupt hormonal systems, also known as endocrine disrupters. This is a particular concern within children. Amongst many studies, one from the Harvard School of Public Health showed alarmingly high amounts of phthalates in hospitalized babies. And according to many studies and announced by the National Toxicology Program, these exposures seriously affect the development of the male reproductive tract.
The European Union, which includes 27 countries and a huge economic base, is doing something about it. In 1999 they setup a temporary ban on six different phthalates in children’s toys and teethers intended to be mouthed by children. By 2007, they have permanently banned these from all children’s toys. Austria and Germany have taken it a step further and have limited their use in plastic that touches food. Other countries such as Mexico, Japan, Argentina and Canada have also initiated bans.
Ironically, the research and reports that led to the bans, came from the United States. Yet, currently, we have no limits on the use of phthalates in our plastics. So the same toy sold here and in Europe could, and does, have different toxicity levels. Being a country that is litigious, we wait for a class action lawsuit and evidence of 100% that these chemicals are dangerous, before action is taken. However, in 1971, NASA determined that these chemicals become more volatile in space and have banned them from an astronaut’s living environment ever since. As expected, there is strong corporate lobby resistance at the state and national level to any limits or bans on plastic additives.