ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR CHEMICALS - Plastics and Environmental Sustainability - page 298

phthalate levels (for common phthalates) in different product categories:
the mean concentration in beverages (0.04-80), food (1.4-173), and food
packaging (0.28-5280) expressed in mg/kg were reported. The highest
levels were associated with milk, oily foods, and butter. Levels in potable
water are by comparison quite low (<5 mg/l). House dust carries a much
higher load by surface adsorption (10 2 -10 4 mg/kg). Nail care products and
some cosmetics can have levels as high as 10 6 mg/kg.
Exposure of infants and children to phthalates is a particularly serious
concern. A 1994 Canadian study estimated the daily intake of DEHP for
adults to be about 5.8 µg/kg body weight and found the sources to be
predominantly food and indoor air. In infants and very young children,
the intake is much higher (~9-19 µg/kg body weight), while the primary
source still remains food, as illustrated in Figure 7.6 (Shea, 2003). Others
have reported similar findings (Martinez-Arguelles et al., 2013). Human
fetal exposure to phthalates occurs in utero or via maternal exposure to
phthalates (Martinez-Arguelles et al., 2013) and continues on after birth
throughbreastfeeding(Calafatetal.,2004)andcommercialinfantformulae
(Frederiksen et al., 2007). Possible ingestion of phthalates while mouthing
toys by infants is a particularly serious concern (Schettler, 2006).
Phthalates 10 are used in formulations for children's or infant's toys; review
ofmultiple-countrydatashowshighphthalatelevelsintoys;forinstance,up
to 44% by weight for DEHP in PVC has been reported (Bouma and Schakel,
2002). The ban on the use of certain phthalates in children's toys by the
Consumer Products Safety Commission goes a considerable way towards
addressing this concern.