Phthalates: What you need to know What are phthalates and how are they used? How do plasticizers get into our bodies? What can I do to protect my family? What's being done about this? What are phthalates and how are they used?Phthalates (pronounced "thah-lates") are chemical plasticizers that have been widely used since the 1950s to soften plastics that would otherwise be brittle and crack when bent. Because phthalates are not chemically bound to the plastics they're added to, they're continuously released into the air or food or liquid. Did you ever notice how plastic sometimes hardens over time? That's because the phthalates have leached out of it.Phthalates are found in an amazing array of products. In personal care items, they're used to help lubricate other substances, help lotions penetrate and soften the skin, and help fragrances last longer. They're also used in toys, electronics (such as personal computers), car-care products, insecticides, and many household products, including adhesives, plastic wrap, plastic containers, flooring, furniture, wallpaper, shower curtains, and other things made of vinyl or PVC.

Here's a list of the most common phthalates, which may come in handy for checking labels:DBP (dibutyl phthalate)DNOP (di-n-octyl phthalate)DiNP (diisononyl phthalate)DEP (diethyl phthalate)BBzP (benzyl butyl phthalate)DEHP (di 2-ethylhexl phthalate)DiDP (diisodecyl phthalate)DnHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate)DMP (dimethyl phthalate)DnOP (di-n-octylphthalate)Bisphenol A (BPA) is another plasticizer.How do plasticizers get into our bodies?Plasticizers are all around us, and adults and children have many opportunities to absorb them. "Children are uniquely vulnerable to phthalate exposures given their hand-to-mouth behaviors, floor play, and developing nervous and reproductive systems," says Sheela Sathyanarayana, an acting assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and lead author of a study that looked at phthalate exposure via baby care products.Here's how we're all exposed:Ingestion. When a baby sucks or chews on an object that contains plasticizers (like a teether, squeeze toy, or bath book), or a young child handles it and then sucks his fingers, the chemicals can end up in the child's body.

Because babies suck on and put things in their mouth routinely, they're especially vulnerable to ingesting phthalates.Trying to keep your baby from putting things in his mouth is not a good solution — it's one of the ways he learns about his world, and it's developmentally important. Instead, parents can remove potentially harmful objects from their baby's reach, and make sure that toys and other objects that are meant to be mouthed are perfectly safe.Homes For Sale In Remington Place Imperial MoOlder children also ingest plasticizers when they play with things that contain phthalates and then put their hands in their mouth. Pug Puppies Sale TampaPolymer clays (a modeling compound designed to remain pliable until baked in a home oven) are one example. Homes For Sale Near Tabb High School

These clays are routinely sold for use by children and are made primarily with PVC plastics.We also ingest plasticizers by eating food that's been contaminated via certain food packaging or by drinking beverages from plastic bottles that leach the chemical into the food or liquid.Phthalates are found in many scented and cosmetic products, where they stabilize the fragrance, increase spreadability, and enhance absorption. So you'll find them in deodorants, nail polish (where they help prevent chipping), hair spray (where they prevent stiffness), perfumes, lotions, creams, and powders (including baby lotions, creams, and powders). The chemicals from these products can be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream.In 2002, a coalition of public health and environmental groups tested 72 name-brand, off-the-shelf cosmetics for phthalates. They found that nearly three-quarters of the products contained the plasticizers. And when the CDC tested phthalate levels in humans, it found the highest levels in women of childbearing age, presumably because of their use of cosmetics.

In a study published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers at the University of Washington's Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Rochester found that babies whose mom had recently applied infant care products like baby lotion, shampoo, and powder were more likely to have phthalates in their urine than babies whose mom didn't use these products.Exposure to phthalates is also a common part of any hospital stay. Many medical devices, such as catheters and IV equipment, are made with PVC (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl) — even the ones used in the NICU and other baby and child care areas. Because phthalates can leach out of the devices into stored liquids, like blood, plasma, and intravenous fluid, the FDA recommended in 2002 that healthcare providers avoid using intravenous bags, tubes, and other devices containing the phthalate DEHP when treating premature babies and women who are pregnant with male fetuses. Accordingly, some hospitals are now phasing phthalate-containing PVC out of neonatal intensive care units.

Phthalates can be breathed in from dust or fumes from any products that contain vinyl, such as vinyl flooring, vinyl seating (in cars, for example), and some diaper-changing mats. The production of fumes by these products is called off-gassing.Phthalates are a concern for adults, too, of course. In addition, phthalates can cross the placenta, so they can be passed to a baby during pregnancy when the mother is exposed. And they can be transmitted through breast milk, so it's important to learn how to limit a mom's exposure in order to protect her baby. (Breast milk is still the best food for babies. Phthalates are not a reason to curtail breastfeeding, but they are a reason for moms to read labels.) How to put sunscreen on a baby See all pregnancy, parenting, and birth videos Insurance Companies Use Bait-and-Switch Tactics to Maintain the Status Quo of Mercury Amalgams You've probably given careful consideration to the food your children consume on a daily basis. But what about the other environmental influences they're exposed to on a near 24/7 basis, such as the materials in their living space and, more specifically, your flooring?

It is likely no one in your home is more familiar with your floor than young children or toddlers living there, as this is where they spend a good deal of time – exploring, playing and learning the ropes of life. As they crawl, their hands (that will later end up in their mouths) sweep across the surface, and their faces are in close proximity to the material itself, and any emissions that have accumulated in household dust. Toxic chemicals, including some that are so dangerous to children they have been banned from toys, are widely used in popular flooring materials, and new research shows that these chemicals can be taken up by infants' bodies as they crawl along on the floor. Serious Risks from PVC Flooring Revealed If your home contains soft, flexible plastic flooring, such as vinyl or those padded play-mat floors for kids (often used in day cares and kindergartens, too), there's a good chance it is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). One of the main problems with PVC is that it contains phthalates, or "plasticizers," which are a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like PVC more flexible and resilient.

They're also one of the most pervasive endocrine disrupters so far discovered. A new study conducted by Swedish researchers found levels of certain phthalates were higher in the urine of babies that had PVC flooring on their bedroom floor.1 "The findings indicate that the use of soft PVC as flooring material may increase the human uptake of phthalates in infants. Urinary levels of phthalate metabolites during early life are associated with the use of PVC flooring in the bedroom, body area, and the use of infant formula. This study shows that the uptake of phthalates is not only related to oral uptake from, for example, food but also to environmental factors such as building materials. This new information should be considered when designing indoor environments, especially for children." This is not the first time PVC flooring has made headlines. Past research has linked it to increased levels of phthalates in household dust, which in turn is linked to chronic health conditions like allergies and asthma.

One study also found that infants who lived in bedrooms with vinyl floors were twice as likely to have autism as infants with wood flooring.2 What You Need to Know About PVC Flooring Chemicals Along with common uses in PVC flooring, phthalates are also commonly found in toys, food packaging, shower curtains, plastic medical equipment, household cleaners, cosmetics and personal care products. According to a report by Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), studies have shown women of childbearing age have significantly higher phthalate exposures than other adults (could this be because they also use the most cosmetics?), and the chemical has been detected in 100 percent of pregnant women tested.3 It's known that fetal exposure to phthalates is closely related to maternal exposure, so many, if not all, babies are starting out with exposure in the womb. In childhood, children are further exposed to phthalates in consumer products ranging from toys, pacifiers and food packaging to personal care products and crawling on vinyl flooring.

The chemicals are known to be a major source of indoor air pollution as well, as they are emitted from numerous household goods, including not only flooring but also furniture, upholstery, mattresses and wall coverings. Phthalates have even been detected in infant formula and baby food, likely because they migrated from the packaging materials. This likely explains why the Swedish researchers found that certain phthalate levels were lower in 2-month-old babies if they were exclusively breastfed, with no supplements. It's alarming that children are being exposed to so many phthalates, from so many sources, as these are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to a wide range of developmental and reproductive "gender-bending" effects, including: Decreased dysgenesis syndrome: A syndrome involving cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), hypospadias (birth defect in which opening of urethra is on the underside of the penis instead of at the end), and oligospermia (low sperm count), and testicular cancer

Interference with sexual differentiation in utero Impaired ovulatory cycles and polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) Early or delayed puberty Breast cancer and uterine fibroids Why Premature Babies May be Most at Risk The sad truth is that most babies are likely starting off with a toxic chemical load due to their mom's chemical burden. However, premature babies get a particularly rough start due to the high concentrations of phthalates they're exposed to in the plastic medical equipment used during neonatal intensive care. With each plastic tube that a newborn is hooked up to, the rate of phthalate exposure increases. And for those premature infants who spend weeks and months in the neonatal intensive care unit, the exposure levels can be extraordinary. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned, DEHP can be found in:4 IV tubing and IV bags Tubing used in cardiopulmonary bypass procedures (CPB) Blood bags and infusion tubing Enteral nutrition feeding bags

Tubing used during hemodialysis In fact, these medical devices can contain 20 to 40 percent Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP, a type of phthalate) by weight – and IV tubing can contain up to 80 percent! DEHP is not bound to the vinyl. It readily leaches out of these medical devices (the tubing or bag) into the solutions that come into contact with the plastic, where it then goes directly into you or your child. The degree of this leaching depends on the temperature, the lipid content of the solution, agitation of the solution, and the duration of its contact with the plastic (i.e., storage time). Of course, the more medical procedures your child requires, the higher the exposure to this chemical. So, babies who are seriously ill and hospitalized have the greatest risk of exposure, as well as being the most vulnerable to its effects. EHHI found that male infants exposed to phthalates through medical procedures are most at risk of suffering health effects,5 which include excessive inflammation.

Inflammation is known to trigger a number of diseases in premature babies, including a chronic lung disorder known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious intestinal condition. After their initial onslaught with chemicals in the hospital, they will then go home, where, unfortunately, the chemical exposure often continues. 12 Tips for Reducing Your Phthalate/PVC Exposure Anything you can do to lower your, and your children's, exposure to plasticizing chemicals like phthalates is a step in the right direction. Choose toys made from natural materials (or at least only buying those made from phthalate-free plastic). When redoing your home, look for "green," toxin-free alternatives in lieu of regular paint and vinyl floor coverings. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric or better yet install glass shower doors. Switch over to natural brands of toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, and cosmetics. Check your home's tap water for contaminants and filter the water if necessary.