Occupational Exposure of Plastics Workers to Diisononyl Phthalate (DiNP) and Di(2-propylheptyl) Phthalate (DPHP) in Finland

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess occupational exposure to diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) and di(2-propylheptyl) phthalate (DPHP] in Finland. Four companies took part in the research project: A cable factory, a plastic producing company, a producer of coated textiles, and a tarpaulin producer. The cable factory used DPHP (and occasionally also diisodecyl phthalate, DiDP), the plastic producing company used both DPHP and DiNP, and the latter two companies used DiNP in their production. Exposure was assessed by measuring phthalate metabolites in urine samples (biomonitoring) and by performing air measurements. Low-level occupational exposure to DiNP was observed in the company that produced coated textiles-out of eight workers, one extruder operator was exposed to DiNP at levels exceeding the non-occupationally exposed population background levels. Some workers in the cable factory and the plastics producing company were occupationally exposed to DPHP. Air levels of phthalates were generally low, mostly below the limit of quantification. All phthalate metabolite concentrations were, however, well below the calculated biomonitoring equivalents, which suggests that the health risks related to the exposure are low.

The effects of the phthalate DiNP on reproduction†

“…It is, therefore, necessary to consider the potential risk of this greater occupational exposure to DiNP on human health. A recent study recommended to use the P95 (95th percentile) value of cx-MiNP as a reference value for occupational exposure, which was 32.3 μg/L [80]. However, this value should be used as a standard or to further calculate occupational exposure with caution, because this study included a very small number of workers (5-8 people) [80][81][82][83].…”

“…The recommended acceptable daily intake dose for DiNP ranges from 120 to 290 μg/kg/day. In addition, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has set the Derived No-Effect Level (DNEL) for the general population as 0.075 mg/kg for oral and 0.35 mg/m 3 for inhalation exposure, and the corresponding BE value for cx-MiNP was 250 μg/L [79,80]. However, occupational exposure standards for DiNP have not yet been established.…”

“…A recent study recommended to use the P95 (95th percentile) value of cx-MiNP as a reference value for occupational exposure, which was 32.3 μg/L [80]. However, this value should be used as a standard or to further calculate occupational exposure with caution, because this study included a very small number of workers (5-8 people) [80][81][82][83]. More biomonitoring studies with larger cohorts, including longer exposure situations are needed for proper risk evaluation [5].…”

Cumulative Exposure to Phthalates and Their Alternatives and Associated Female Reproductive Health: Body Burdens, Adverse Outcomes, and Underlying Mechanisms

“…Several European countries have reported the current status of human exposure to DPHP in the general population. 62 A study in 2021 detected highmolecular weight metabolites such as DiNP, DiDP, and DPHP in the urine of pregnant women. 63 It is worth noting that DPHP metabolites were detected in 70% of urine samples (median of 0.13 ng/mL).…”

Isolation of DiNP-Degrading Microbes from the Mouse Colon and the Influence DiNP Exposure Has on the Microbiota, Intestinal Integrity, and Immune Status of the Colon

“…Environmentally relevant doses of DiNP were selected for this study, which included 20 and 200 µg/kg of DiNP. In detail, 20 µg/kg of DiNP was selected to represent exposure in occupational workers [16][17][18], whereas 200 µg/kg of DiNP was selected to represent exposure in infants and children 0-18 months [19]. In addition to these environmentally relevant doses, we also included 2, 20, and 200 mg/kg doses of DiNP for immunohistochemistry experiments.…”