Phthalates: Relationships between Air, Dust, Electronic Devices, and Hands with Implications for Exposure

Abstract

Exposure to phthalates is pervasive and is of concern due to associations with adverse health effects. Exposures and exposure pathways of six phthalates were investigated for 51 women aged 18−44 years in Ontario, Canada, based on measured phthalate concentrations in hand wipes and indoor media in their residences. All six phthalates had detection frequencies of 100% in air (∑ 6 670 ng m −3 geomean) and floor dust (∑ 6 630 μg g −1 ), nearly 100% detection frequencies for hand palms and backs that were significantly correlated and concentrations were repeatable over a 3 week interval. Phthalates on hands were significantly correlated with levels in air and dust, as expected according to partitioning theory. Total exposure was estimated as 4860 ng kg bw −1 day −1 (5th and 95th percentiles 1980−16 950 ng kg bw −1 day −1 ), with dust ingestion, followed by hand-to-mouth transfer, as the dominant pathways. With the exception of diethyl phthalate (DEP), phthalates had over 50% detection frequencies in surface wipes of most electronic devices sampled, including devices in which the use of phthalates was not expected. Phthalate concentrations on surfaces of hand-held devices were ∼10 times higher than on non-hand-held devices and were correlated with levels on hands. The data are consistent with phthalate emissions from sources such as laminate flooring and personal care products (e.g., scented candles), followed by partitioning among air, dust, and surface films that accumulate on electronic devices and skin, including hands. We hypothesize that hands transfer phthalates from emission sources and dust to hand-held electronic devices, which accumulate phthalates due to infrequent washing and which act as a sink and then a secondary source of exposure. The findings support those of others that exposure can be mitigated by increasing ventilation, damp cloth cleaning, and minimizing the use of phthalate-containing products and materials.

Pregnancy exposure to organophosphate esters and the risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the Norwegian mother, father and child cohort study

“…It is also important to consider the fact that environmental exposures often occur in mixtures, which has rarely been accounted for in relation to ADHD. Human exposure to some OPEs may co-occur with phthalates ( Bergh et al 2011 ; Bi et al 2018 ; Bornehag et al 2005 ; Ionas et al 2014 ; Liang and Xu 2014 ; Yang et al 2020 ), which have also been associated with ADHD ( Engel et al 2018 ). However, due to the potential for these chemicals to co-occur, targeting a reduction in a specific chemical may not always be feasible.…”

Levulinic acid-based bioplasticizers: a facile approach to enhance the thermal and mechanical properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates

“…20,21 Beyond the plasticization performance, a new generation of plasticizers (bioplasticizers) does not have to alter the biodegradability, biocompatibility and bioresorbability typical of these biopolymers. 22,23 Traditional petroleum-based plasticizers such as phthalates, trimellitates, dicarboxylates have shown high plasticization efficiency, but also very severe toxicity issues [24][25][26][27] and a high environmental impact 28,29 due to their leaching. 30 This led USA, 31 Canada 32 and European Union, 33,34 among others, to strictly regulate the use of petroleum-based plasticizers as phthalates in the manufacturing of children's toys, biomedical devices and materials for foodpackaging, and incentivizing the development of safer and greener alternatives.…”

Electrochemical Technologies for the Abatement of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds

“…In fact, the large-scale application of phthalates has caused pervasive human exposure and associated health hazards. Phthalates are non-steroidal EDCs and their exposure can result in reproductive ailments in humans, low birth weight, and asthma (Yang et al, 2020a). Moreover, phthalates are perennially discharged in to the receiving water bodies with the wastewater treatment plant e uent, which has resulted in innumerable malfunctioning and ill effects on the exposed ora and fauna.…”