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Phthalates, also called "plasticizers," are a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible or resilient and also as solvents. Phthalates, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) are "nearly ubiquitous in modern society, found in, among other things, toys, food packaging, hoses, raincoats, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wall coverings, lubricants, adhesives, detergents, nail polish, hair spray and shampoo." I'll bet you can guess what's coming next. Yep, once again, man-made = problems.
Phthalates, adds the EWG, have been found to "disrupt the endocrine system. Several phthalate compounds have caused reduced sperm counts, testicular atrophy and structural abnormalities in the reproductive systems of male test animals, and some studies also link phthalates to liver cancer, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control's 2005 National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Though the CDC contends the health hazards of phthalates to humans have not been definitively established, for some years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has regulated phthalates as water and air pollutants."
More specifically, Lloyd Alter of TreeHugger writes of a new study that links phthalates to autism. This found that "Infants or toddlers who lived in bedrooms with vinyl, or PVC, floors were twice as likely to have autism five years later, in 2005, than those with wood or linoleum flooring."
P.S. It's pronounced THAL-ates
Related Posts:
Detox Your Home: Keep PVC and Phthalates Out of Your Food
Exxon Blocking Toy Safety Bill That Would Ban Phthalates in Toys
Do You Know Your Green World?
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