Health
Plasticisers and health
Over the last years plasticisers, namely ortho-phthalates, have been under scrutiny due to their potential health risks. Some studies have linked exposure to plasticisers with health problems. However, other studies have found no such link. Minimising the impact of plasticisers on health and the environment is key for the plasticiser industry. Thus, this is why the industry has been heavily investing in scientific research to fully comprehend the potential impact of plasticisers on human health and the environment.
Plasticisers with the exception of the polymeric ones are REACH registered. Detailed data on toxicological properties are publicly available from ECHA.
Human biomonitoring for plasticisers
Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a method for quantifying the exposure of humans to chemical substances. HBM relies on measuring specific degradation products of chemicals (metabolites) in urine, back-calculation of urinary metabolites to external exposures and subsequently compares the exposure against e.g. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) derived safe threshold limit values.
Together with industry, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, and the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), precise analytical techniques have been developed and validated to identify specific degradation products of plasticisers. These methods have now been adopted globally. Human biomonitoring studies undertaken by authorities showed that the urinary concentrations of specific plasticiser degradation products consistently fall within the safe threshold range. This confirmed for individual plasticisers their safe use.