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BioMed Research International 2018Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is extensively used as a plasticizer in many products, especially medical devices, furniture materials, cosmetics, and personal care... (Review)
Review
Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is extensively used as a plasticizer in many products, especially medical devices, furniture materials, cosmetics, and personal care products. DEHP is noncovalently bound to plastics, and therefore, it will leach out of these products after repeated use, heating, and/or cleaning of the products. Due to the overuse of DEHP in many products, it enters and pollutes the environment through release from industrial settings and plastic waste disposal sites. DEHP can enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact on a daily basis, which has raised some concerns about its safety and its potential effects on human health. The main aim of this review is to give an overview of the endocrine, testicular, ovarian, neural, hepatotoxic, and cardiotoxic effects of DEHP on animal models and humans and .
Topics: Animals; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Plasticizers; Plastics
PubMed: 29682520
DOI: 10.1155/2018/1750368 -
Reproductive Toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) 2007The plastic monomer and plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest volume chemicals produced worldwide. BPA is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics... (Review)
Review
The plastic monomer and plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest volume chemicals produced worldwide. BPA is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in many consumer products. Here, we have outlined studies that address the levels of BPA in human tissues and fluids. We have reviewed the few epidemiological studies available that explore biological markers of BPA exposure and human health outcomes. We have examined several studies of levels of BPA released from consumer products as well as the levels measured in wastewater, drinking water, air and dust. Lastly, we have reviewed acute metabolic studies and the information available about BPA metabolism in animal models. The reported levels of BPA in human fluids are higher than the BPA concentrations reported to stimulate molecular endpoints in vitro and appear to be within an order of magnitude of the levels needed to induce effects in animal models.
Topics: Animals; Benzhydryl Compounds; Environmental Exposure; Food Contamination; Humans; Metabolic Clearance Rate; Phenols; Plasticizers; Tissue Distribution
PubMed: 17825522
DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2007.07.010 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Dec 2014Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer to render poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) soft and malleable. Plasticized PVC is used in hospital equipment,... (Review)
Review
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer to render poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) soft and malleable. Plasticized PVC is used in hospital equipment, food wrapping, and numerous other commercial and industrial products. Unfortunately, plasticizers can migrate within the material and leach out of it over time, ending up in the environment and, frequently, the human body. DEHP has come under increased scrutiny as its breakdown products are believed to be endocrine disruptors and more toxic than DEHP itself. DEHP and its breakdown products have been identified as ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and daily human exposure is estimated to be in the microgram per kilogram level. The objective of this review is to summarize and comment on published sources of DEHP exposure and to give an overview of its environmental fate. Exposure through bottled water was examined specifically, as this concern is raised frequently, yet only little exposure to DEHP occurs through bottled water, and DEHP exposure is unlikely to stem from the packaging material itself. Packaged food was also examined and showed higher levels of DEHP contamination compared to bottled water. Exposure to DEHP also occurs in hospital environments, where DEHP leaches directly into liquids that passed through PVC/DEHP tubing and equipment. The latter exposure is at considerably higher levels compared to food and bottled water, specifically putting patients with chronic illnesses at risk. Overall, levels of DEHP in food and bottled water were below current tolerable daily intake (TDI) values. However, our understanding of the risks of DEHP exposure is still evolving. Given the prevalence of DEHP in our atmosphere and environment, and the uncertainty revolving around it, the precautionary principle would suggest its phaseout and replacement. Increased efforts to develop viable replacement compounds, which necessarily includes rigorous leaching, toxicity, and impact assessment studies, are needed before alternative plasticizers can be adopted as viable replacements.
Topics: Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Food Contamination; Humans; Plasticizers; Plastics
PubMed: 25376446
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-6183-8 -
The Analyst Apr 2020The spontaneous process of release of plasticizers from membranes typically used in ion-selective sensors is an effect which limits the lifetime of sensors and comes...
The spontaneous process of release of plasticizers from membranes typically used in ion-selective sensors is an effect which limits the lifetime of sensors and comes with a risk of safety hazards. We use a nanosponge approach to look at the magnitude of this problem, quantifying the resulting contents of the plasticizer in solution. This novel method takes advantage of the spontaneous partition of the plasticizer (released and present in solution) into nanoparticles loaded with a solvatochromic dye. As a result, nanoparticles are transformed into capsules. This process is coupled with the turn-on fluorescence intensity change of the dye embedded in nanostructures, proportional to analyte concentration in the ppm range, providing insight into plasticizer contents in the solution. It was found that the spontaneous release of the plasticizer is dependent on its nature as well as the presence of an ionophore and ion-exchanger. For a typical ion-selective membrane composition the leakage effect results in up to 20 ppm of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether found in solution after 12 h contact. On the other hand, for a less polar plasticizer - bis(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate, although the presence of an ionophore and ion-exchanger also increases the amount of the compound released from the membrane, its concentration in solution does not exceed 2 ppm after 12 h. The conclusions presented herein can be important not only for designing robust sensors but also for end-user safety. The results obtained for ion-selective membranes were equal within the range of experimental errors with those obtained using a liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC MS) approach, confirming the high analytical potential of the nanosponge approach.
Topics: Decanoic Acids; Ethers; Ionophores; Membranes, Artificial; Nanospheres; Plasticizers; Polymers; Polyvinyl Chloride; Spectrometry, Fluorescence
PubMed: 32115595
DOI: 10.1039/c9an02621e -
Environmental Science & Technology Feb 2020Many commercial plasticizers are toxic endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are added to plastics during manufacturing and may leach out once they reach the environment....
Many commercial plasticizers are toxic endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are added to plastics during manufacturing and may leach out once they reach the environment. Traditional phthalic acid ester plasticizers (PAEs), such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), are now increasingly being replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC). While the metabolic pathways for PAE degradation have been established in the terrestrial environment, to our knowledge, the mechanisms for ATBC biodegradation have not been identified previously and plasticizer degradation in the marine environment remains underexplored. From marine plastic debris, we enriched and isolated microbes able to grow using a range of plasticizers and, for the first time, identified the pathways used by two phylogenetically distinct bacteria to degrade three different plasticizers (i.e., DBP, DEHP, and ATBC) via a comprehensive proteogenomic and metabolomic approach. This integrated multi-OMIC study also revealed the different mechanisms used for ester side-chain removal from the different plasticizers (esterases and enzymes involved in the β-oxidation pathway) as well as the molecular response to deal with toxic intermediates, that is, phthalate, and the lower biodegrading potential detected for ATBC than for PAE plasticizers. This study highlights the metabolic potential that exists in the biofilms that colonize plastics-the Plastisphere-to effectively biodegrade plastic additives and flags the inherent importance of microbes in reducing plastic toxicity in the environment.
Topics: Dibutyl Phthalate; Endocrine Disruptors; Phthalic Acids; Plasticizers; Plastics; Proteogenomics
PubMed: 31894974
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05228 -
Transfusion Medicine Reviews Jan 2012Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is used in blood component containers as well as in many other medical devices because it shows optimal inertness, durability, and resistance to... (Review)
Review
Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is used in blood component containers as well as in many other medical devices because it shows optimal inertness, durability, and resistance to heat and chemicals. However, the polymer itself does not provide good handling characteristics or the necessary properties for red blood cell (RBC) survival. PVC thus needs to be plasticized, and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) has been the most common plasticizer to produce the required flexibility to PVC. However, DEHP has been found to leach out from the containers, causing toxic effects, as demonstrated mainly in rodents. It is considered to be a possible carcinogen and suspected to also produce endocrine effects especially in young males. Although controversial, it is commonly accepted that in vulnerable patients such as newborns, trauma patients, or pregnant women, high exposure to DEHP should be avoided. The replacement of the common PVC + DEHP blood bags poses technical challenges due to the positive influence of the DEHP molecules on the red blood cell (RBC) membrane, and thus it has been shown to affect RBC storage and survival after transfusion. Different approaches are thus being taken to find a suitable alternative to DEHP for blood components bags. Environmentalists even favor the substitution of the PVC to avoid not only the plasticizers but even the other residues contained in the polymer material. Consequently, whereas the simplest solution is the substitution of the DEHP by other plasticizers, alternative plasticizer-free materials are becoming explored. Even modifications of existing materials are being presented by some research groups, ranging from covering of the DEHP-containing materials to alloys or special additive solutions. Different strategies as well as the most promising approaches are presented in this review. In any case, the degree of stabilization of RBCs undergoing prolonged storage will dictate the final acceptance for such alternatives.
Topics: Animals; Blood Banks; Blood Transfusion; Cell Membrane; Cell Survival; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Dicarboxylic Acids; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Erythrocytes; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Models, Chemical; Plasticizers; Polymers; Polyvinyl Chloride
PubMed: 21820855
DOI: 10.1016/j.tmrv.2011.06.001 -
Plasticizer migration from children's toys, child care articles, art materials, and school supplies.Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology... Mar 2020Dialkyl phthalates, including diisononyl phthalate (DINP), have been used as plasticizers in children's products made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), such as teethers and...
Dialkyl phthalates, including diisononyl phthalate (DINP), have been used as plasticizers in children's products made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), such as teethers and toys. Children may be exposed to phthalates when handling or mouthing PVC products because plasticizers are not covalently bound. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 prohibited certain phthalates from use in child care articles and children's toys. Thus, manufacturers have changed to other plasticizers or non-PVC plastics and there is interest in evaluating the potential health risks of alternative plasticizers. In 2008, CPSC staff purchased 63 children's products comprising 129 individual pieces (articles). Plastics identified FTIR included PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Plasticizers identified by in the 38 PVC articles included acetyltributyl citrate (ATBC) (20); di (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT) (14); 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINX) (13); 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutyrate (TPIB) (9); di (2 ethyhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) (1); and DINP (1). Half of the tested articles contained multiple plasticizers. CPSC measured migration rates using the Joint Research Centre method. Migration rates correlated roughly with plasticizer concentration and inversely with the molecular mass of the plasticizer. We then combined the migration rates with data on mouthing duration to estimate children's exposure to plasticizers in toys and child care articles, and estimated margins of exposure. All margins of exposure were >1,000, suggesting a low risk potential. However, the plasticizers in this study have multiple uses. Exposure from other sources and routes of exposure will be considered in future work.
Topics: Child; Child Care; Consumer Product Safety; Equipment and Supplies; Humans; Plasticizers; Play and Playthings; Polyvinyl Chloride
PubMed: 31917999
DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2019.104574 -
Talanta Nov 2014Until 2010, diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) was the plasticizer most commonly used to soften PVC medical devices (MDs), because of a good efficiency/cost ratio. In flexible... (Review)
Review
Until 2010, diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) was the plasticizer most commonly used to soften PVC medical devices (MDs), because of a good efficiency/cost ratio. In flexible plasticized PVC, phthalates are not chemically bound to PVC and they are released into the environment and thus may come into contact with patients. The European Directive 2007/47/CE, classified DEHP as a product with a toxicity risk and restricted its use in MDs. MD manufacturers were therefore forced to quickly find alternatives to DEHP to maintain the elasticity of PVC nutrition tubings, infusion sets and hemodialysis lines. Several replacement plasticizers, so-called "alternative to DEHP plasticizers" were incorporated into the MDs. Nowadays, the risk of exposure to these compounds for hospitalized patients, particularly in situations classified "at risk", has not yet been evaluated, because migrations studies, providing sufficient exposure and human toxicity data have not been performed. To assess the risk to patients of DEHP plasticizer alternatives, reliable analytical methods must be first developed in order to generate data that supports clinical studies being conducted in this area. After a brief introduction of the characteristics and toxicity of the selected plasticizers used currently in MDs, this review outlines recently analytical methods available to determine and quantify these plasticizers in several matrices, allowing the evaluation of potential risk and so risk management.
Topics: Animals; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; Chromatography, Gas; Chromatography, Liquid; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Equipment Contamination; Equipment Failure; Equipment and Supplies; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mass Spectrometry; Molecular Weight; Plasticizers; Polymers; Polyvinyl Chloride; Rats; Risk Assessment; Solvents; Spectrophotometry, Infrared; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Thermogravimetry
PubMed: 25127563
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2014.04.069 -
Analytica Chimica Acta Oct 2022A novel approach is introduced for the fast, reliable, and low-cost recognition and quantification of plasticizers in plasticizers mixtures. It uses benchtop H NMR...
A novel approach is introduced for the fast, reliable, and low-cost recognition and quantification of plasticizers in plasticizers mixtures. It uses benchtop H NMR spectroscopy and indirect hard modeling, a mechanistic multivariate regression technique. The approach is demonstrated on five different PVC plasticizers having similar spectral signatures in proton NMR spectra. With only 16 scans per spectrum, i.e., 2 min 40 s measurement time, quantification limits down to 0.14 mg mL, or 0.35 wt% plasticizer in PVC, were achieved. Apart from the rapid data acquisition, the use of spectral hard modeling enabled the quantification of plasticizer mixtures while using only 4 to 6 training samples per component. Despite strongly overlapping signals in the NMR spectra, various plasticizers were differentiated and quantified, as exemplarily demonstrated for binary mixtures. A commercial PVC specimen with three different layers was also examined, confirming the applicability of benchtop NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, the use of the proposed method to validate official regulations concerning the plasticizer content in PVC is assessed. The presented results demonstrate that the combination of benchtop NMR and spectral hard modeling is a very promising analytical tool for rapid PVC plasticizer recognition and quantification with high analytical throughput. Moreover, the results indicate a high potential for benchtop NMR and spectral hard modeling for microchemical analysis, even for complex samples.
Topics: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Plasticizers; Polyvinyl Chloride; Protons
PubMed: 36156235
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340384 -
Vox Sanguinis Feb 2022Due to increasing concerns about possible endocrine-disrupting properties, the use of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) will be banned in future blood...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Due to increasing concerns about possible endocrine-disrupting properties, the use of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) will be banned in future blood storage. Di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT) provides sufficient red blood cell (RBC) quality during conventional blood bank storage. It is important that a new plasticizer also maintains acceptable quality during exposure to high cell stress, such as irradiation, which is commonly used to prevent graft-versus-host disease.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 59 RBC units were collected and processed in polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-DEHT or PVC-DEHP blood bags combined with either saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol (SAGM) or phosphate-adenine-glucose-guanosine-saline-mannitol (PAGGSM) additive solution. All units were X-ray irradiated on day 2 post-collection. Sampling for assessment of parameters of storage lesion was performed on day 2 pre-irradiation and day 14 and 28 post-irradiation.
RESULTS
Though irradiation increased cell stress, DEHT/PAGGSM and current common European preference DEHP/SAGM were equally affected up to 14 days post-irradiation for all measured parameters. At day 28, haemolysis and microvesicle count were slightly increased in DEHT, whereas extracellular potassium ions, glucose, lactate, pH, mean corpuscular volume and microvesicle phosphatidylserine remained unaffected by plasticizer choice throughout storage. No individual unit exceeded 0.8% haemolysis, not even in DEHT/SAGM, the combination overall most affected by irradiation. Of the four combinations, membrane stability was least impacted in DEHP/PAGGSM.
CONCLUSION
We demonstrate that DEHT is a suitable plasticizer for storage of RBCs after X-ray irradiation cell stress. This strengthens the option of DEHT as a viable non-phthalate substitute for DEHP.
Topics: Blood Preservation; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Erythrocytes; Hemolysis; Humans; Phthalic Acids; Plasticizers; Polyvinyl Chloride
PubMed: 34268809
DOI: 10.1111/vox.13177