Overview of Phthalates

Phthalates, also known as phthalates or PAEs, are a collective term for esters formed from phthalic acid. When used as a plastic plasticizer, it generally refers to esters formed by phthalic acid and alcohols with 4 to 15 carbons. Among them, dioctyl phthalate is the most important variety. Phthalates are a type of chemical that can soften and disrupt the endocrine system.

Application of Phthalates

Phthalates are mainly used in polyvinyl chloride materials to transform it from a hard plastic to an elastic plastic, acting as plasticizers. It is widely used in hundreds of products such as toys, food packaging materials, medical blood bags and hoses, vinyl floors and wallpapers, detergents, lubricants, personal care products (such as nail polish, hair sprays, soap and shampoo), but it does serious harm to human health.

The hazards of phthalates

Research has shown that phthalates play a role similar to estrogen in both human and animal bodies, disrupting the endocrine system and causing a decrease in semen and sperm count, low sperm motility, abnormal sperm morphology, and in severe cases, testicular cancer. They are the "culprits" causing male reproductive problems.

In cosmetics, the phthalate content of nail polish is high, and many cosmetic aromatic ingredients also contain this substance. This substance in cosmetics will enter the body through women's respiratory system and skin. If used too much, it will increase women's risk of breast cancer and harm the reproductive system of their future baby boys.

Testing standards for phthalates

EN 14372 Safety requirements and testing methods for children's products (European standard, using Soxhlet extraction method)

EN 15777 Textiles Test method for phthalates (European standard, using Soxhlet extraction method)

CPSC-CH-C1001-09.3 Standard Operating Procedure for Phthalate Testing (American Standard, using dissolution solidification method)

Health Canada Method C34 Determination of Phthalates in Polyvinyl Chloride Products (Canadian Standard, Using Dissolution Method)

GB/T 22048 Determination of phthalate plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride plastics for toys and children's products (Chinese standard, using Soxhlet extraction method)

23 Phthalates Considered Harmful and Restricted for Use

serial number	Chinese name	CAS NO	alias	English name
1	Diisononyl phthalate	68515-48-0	DINP	Diisononyl ortho-phthalate
2	2-ethylhexyl phthalate ester	117-81-7	DEHP	Bis（2-ethylhexyl）ortho-phthalate
3	Di-n-butyl phthalate	84-74-2	DBP	Di-n-butyl ortho-phthalate
4	Diisohexyl phthalate	26761-40-0	DIDP	Diisodecyl ortho-phthalate
5	Diisobutyl phthalate	84-69-5	DIBP	Di-iso-butyl ortho-phthalate
6	Butyl benzyl phthalate	85-68-7	BBP	Benzyl-n-butyl ortho-phthalate
7	Di-n-octyl phthalate	117-84-0	DNOP	Di-n-octyl ortho-phthalate
8	Diisooctyl phthalate	27554-26-3	Diop	Diisooctyl ortho-phthalate
9	Dimethyl phthalate	131-11-3	DMP	Dimethyl ortho-phthalate
10	Dipentyl phthalate	131-18-0	DPP	Diphenyl ortho-phthalate
11	Diethyl phthalate	84-66-2	DEP	Dicthyl ortho-phthalate
12	Dicyclohexyl phthalate	84-61-7	DCHP	Dicyclohexyl ortho-phthalate
13	Dipropyl phthalate	131-16-8	DPRP	Di-propyl ortho-phthalate
14	Dinonyl phthalate	84-76-4	DNP	Diisonoyl adipate
15	Dipropyl phthalate	131-16- 8	DPrP	Dipropyl phthalate
16	Diphenylmethyl phthalate	523-31-9	DBzp	Dibenzyl phthalate
17	Diphenyl phthalate	84-62-8	DPHP	Diphenyl phthalate
18	Di-n-hexyl phthalate	84-75-3	DnHP	Di-n-hexyl phthalate
19	Di (2-methoxyethyl) phthalate	117-82-8	DMEP	Bis（2-methoxyethyl） phthalate
20	Dipropenyl phthalate	131-17-9	DAP	Diallyl phthalate
21	1,2-Phenylenedicarboxylic acid decyl octyl ester	119-07-3	nDnOP	n-decyl， n-octyl phthalate
22	Didecyl phthalate	84-77-5	DnDP	di-n-decyl phthalate
23	---	---	DiPP	n-Pentyl iso-pentyl phthalate

Requirements for Legal and Regulatory Control of Phthalates

At present, there are many standards for the control requirements of phthalic acid substances in China:HR.4040 EN71. REACH... all have restrictions on this substance. Among them, the RoHS2.0 detection requirements are more extensive.

EU RoHS2.0 Instructions

On June 4, 2015, the European Union published Commission Authorization Directive (EU) 2015/863 (completed on March 31, 2015) in the Official Journal, revising Appendix II of the RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU) regarding the list of restricted substances. The directive came into effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal. DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP have been officially listed as restricted substances in Appendix II, bringing the total number of mandatory controlled substances in Appendix II to ten.

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There are two commonly used methods for dealing with benzene substances:

1GC-MS testing method is suitable for large testing institutions and national research institutes due to its high cost and high requirements for operators.

2HPLC (liquid chromatography) is suitable for factory level detection, with the lowest cost and low requirements for operators.

Prusi Instruments recommends using our company's LC2800 liquid chromatography instrument for factory level benzene testing methods, which can effectively solve the management and control of harmful substances from raw materials to production processes and finished products.