TL: PHTHALATES BRIEFING SHEET What Are They ?
SO: Greenpeace (GP)
DT: April, 1996
Keywords: environment toxics plastics chemicals pvc chlorine /
 
Phthalates are the most commonly used chemical plasticisers.
They are added to plastics in large quantities, to make them
flexible and durable. Most phthalates are used in PVC plastic.
     Phthalates migrate to the surface of plastics, and can
then evaporate (offgas) or leach into the surrounding
environment. This limits the usefulness of phthalate
plasticisers, as they eventually migrate out of plastics
altogether causing them to become brittle.
     The release of phthalates into the environment also
causes environmental damage. Because of their widespread use,
phthalates have become one of the most abundant industrial
pollutants in the environment.
 
Phthalates and PVC
 
DEHP or di-ethyl-hexyl-phthalate is one of the most common
phthalates used as plasticiser for soft PVC products, like
vinyl floorings and wallpaper, cable coatings, children's toys
and fashion goods. In 1993, almost 95% of DEHP produced world-
wide was used as an additive in PVC plastic. Some PVC products
like mouldings and sealants can contain up to 60% by weight of
phthalate, more than the PVC itself.
     DEHP accounts for some 60% or 2.1 million tonnes of the
3.25 million tonnes of phthalates produced each year. Another
less common phthalate is DBP or Di-n-butyl phthalate is also
used as a plasticiser.
 
Phthalates and Hormone Disruption
 
Phthalates accumulate in the environment. They are suspected
of causing cancer. However, their most disturbing property,
discovered so far, is their ability to interfere with basic
hormone functions of living organisms. Hormones largely
control development, growth and reproduction. Phthalates are
one of a growing list of synthetic chemicals which are known
to be
'hormone disrupters'.
     As evidence about wildlife and human health effects
accumulates, the list of 'hormone disrupters' continues to
grow. They work in different ways. Some phthalates, such as
DEHP and DBP are oestrogenic -they mimic the female hormone
oestrogen and have a feminising effect. Other hormone
disrupters work in
different ways. Hormonal disruption, especially during foetal
or early infant development, can impair fertility and learning
ability for life. 
 
The Release of Phthalates into the Environment
 
Phthalates are released into the environment during their
entire life cycle - from manufacture, through use, to
recycling or  'disposal'. Both the recycling of PVC and its
dumping in
landfills releases phthalates into the environment. 
     Even during their use in plastics, like PVC, phthalates
can migrate into our bodies. They can be ingested from PVC in
food packaging, blood bags and even childrens toys.    
     The dose of phthalate needed to interfere with the
hormonal system is often extremely low. Unlike natural
hormones,
phthalates build up in the body fat, are highly resistant to
breakdown and accumulate through the food chain. Natural
hormones are broken down once their 'message' has been
delivered.
Persistent hormone disrupters can cause damage over and over
again, at levels as low as parts per trillion.
 
Phthalates and ICI Rhodes 
 
The Rhodes chemicals production plant in Homebush Bay started
operating in the 1940s and was run by CSR Chemicals. In 1968,
ICI formed a joint venture with CSR, eventually taking over
the site in 1986. In 1992, ICI started scaling down its
operations by closing 6 of the 8 production lines on site.
Today, ICI produces just two chemicals, both phthalates:
phthalate esters, used in PVC plastic, and phthalate anhydride
used in paint and
fibreglass. ICI Rhodes are thought to be closing this factory
before the start of the Olympics. 
 
Sampling at ICI Rhodes 
 
In April 1996, Greenpeace took water and sediment samples in
Homebush Bay, around the ICI Rhodes plant. The samples were
then analysed for six types of phthalates. 
     Some of the world's highest levels of the phthalate,
DEHP, were detected in sediment around the ICI plant. Levels
of DEHP of 334 and 121 milligrams per kilogram were found in
sediments.      Levels of DEHP in one water sample exceeded
Australian water quality guidelines by over 380 times. Levels
of DBP in one water sample were 2.5 times over the same
guideline limit. 
 
ANALYSIS OF PHTHALATES IN SAMPLES FROM ICI RHODES
 
WATER SAMPLES (micrograms/litre or parts per billion)
 
Type                     ICI samples        ANZECC Guidelines*

of Phthalate         taken by Greenpeace
 
DBP                      8 ug/l and 10ug/l      4  ug/l
DEHP                          229 ug/l         0,6 ug/l
 
* ANZECC guidelines are for fresh water
 
International Response to Phthalates
 
Concern over the health effects of phthalates has contributed
to restrictions on the use of PVC in at least 10 countries
worldwide. These include Japan, Sweden and Germany. In
November 1995, the Swedish Government agreed to begin a phase
out of PVC.   
     A 1995 study of PVC by the Danish Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) found that emissions of phthalates
from soft plastic products are a more important source of
phthalates into the environemnt, than their production and use
in other processes. The Danish Parliament is currently
considering a phase out of PVC by the year 2000. 
 
Alternatives to PVC and Phthalates
 
Some half of the global annual production of 20 million tonnes
of raw PVC is used in soft PVC products containing phthalates.
Thus, the potential contribution of phthalates to global
hormone disruption is significant. The solution is to find
alternatives to PVC that are both chlorine and phthalate free.
There are alternative materials to PVC for virtually all uses.
They include natural rubber and chlorine free plastics like
polyethylene.  
References
 
 
ENDS