 |
 |
 NEWS
|
 LEGISLATION
|
ABOUT US
|
The Ministry of the Environment issues State of the Knowledge on Phthalates
There is a big difference of the various health effects of the phthalates
01-10-2004
The Danish EPA has in September prepared a memorandum for the Danish Ministry of the Environment that comprehends the latest information on the health effects of the phthalates. The memo is reviewing the five mostly used phthalates. Of special interest is the conclusions connected to the two mostly used phthalates, DEHP and DINP. These two types of phthalates make in total over 80 per cent of the phthalate consumption.
As for DEHP, the EPA memo says that the substance is subject to a risk assessment in the EU for the time being, and a draft has been subject to discussion in a working group in the EU. The EPA concludes about DEHP that there is sufficient documentation available to strongly suspect that human exposure to the substance may result in a deterioration of the reproduction and mischief in progeny.
About DINP, however, it is said that the risk assessment of the EU for both the environmental and the health part has concluded that the substance does not give reason for concern. Even though DINP in big doses has caused harm to the reproduction in rats, the EPA says that these effects are not relevant to humans. On a very large background of data, the EPA says, the EU risk assessment concludes that there is no risk in connection with the use of the substance. In spite of the plausible harmlessness of DINP most European contries have however chosen to take precautionary measures, when it comes to toys. Here they choose another precautionary level and ban DINP in toys and articles for small children under the age of three, if the products can be put into the mouth.
The PVC Information Council can inform that DEHP is being replaced by DINP over most of Europe. In 1999 DEHP made 42 pct of the total phthalate consumption, where DEHP is reduced to 24 pct to day. It is DINP that replaces DEHP. DINP make 56 pct of the phthalate consumption to day, and the DINP consumption is increasing. There is a phthalate consumption of about one million tonne in Europe per year.
Join our news alert list by sending us an e-mail to pvc@pvc.dk - marked "News"
  PVC DESIGN
|
CONTACT
|
HOME
|
DANISH
|
|
PVC INFORMATION COUNCIL, Nørre Voldgade 48, DK - 1358 Copenhagen K. |
