The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it plans to regulate dozens of uses of five commonly used phthalate chemicals after determining they pose unreasonable risks to workers and the environment.
The choice comes after the publication of conclusive risk assessments for Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP), Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP), and Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP).
These chemicals are commonly utilized to enhance the flexibility of plastics and can be found in a variety of products, including construction materials and industrial machinery.
According to the EPA, its evaluations—conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act—found that all five chemicals present unreasonable risks in certain industrial and environmental uses. The agency said it relied on peer-reviewed science and updated modeling, including the use of human data rather than animal data, to reach its conclusions.
“Our science delivered clear answers that these phthalates pose unreasonable risks to workers in specific industrial settings and to the environment,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. He said the agency will work with businesses, workers and communities to craft targeted regulations that address those risks.
Phthalates have been associated with possible health issues, including hormone deficiencies and disruptions in the endocrine system. Nevertheless, the EPA highlighted that these effects are contingent on the levels of exposure and do not manifest at every level of contact.
The agency also pointed out that its assessment concentrated on uses governed by federal chemical safety regulations and did not consider exposures from food, food packaging, cosmetics, or medical devices, which are overseen by other federal entities.
In terms of consumer applications reviewed by the EPA, the agency determined that there were no exposure levels that would present unreasonable risks to the general public. The assessments also incorporated a cumulative exposure analysis of various phthalates and employed conservative modeling to factor in potential exposure for infants and young children, particularly regarding toy-mouthing behavior.
The EPA recognized several conditions of use that pose risks, including two worker-related applications for BBP and five for DBP, while DEHP was found to present risks in 10 worker-related applications and 20 environmental applications. DCHP and DIBP were also associated with multiple worker and environmental risks.
The agency announced that it will commence drafting regulations to address these findings, taking into account measures such as engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and alternative strategies. Officials stated that they will engage in extensive consultations with labor organizations, industry representatives, and impacted communities prior to finalizing the regulations.
