title: Assessment of phthalates/phthalate alternatives in children's toys and childcare articles: Review of the report including conclusions and recommendation of the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
abstract: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) convened a Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (CHAP) on Phthalates found in children's toys, and childcare products, and in products used by women of childbearing age. The CHAP conducted a risk assessment on phthalates and phthalate substitutes, and made recommendations to either ban, impose an interim ban, or allow the continued use of phthalates and phthalate substitutes in the above products. After a review of the literature, the evaluation included toxic end points of primary concern, biomonitoring results, extant exposure reconstruction, and epidemiological results. The health end points chosen were associated with the rat phthalate syndrome, which is characterized by malformations of the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate, external genitalia (hypospadias), and by cryptorchidism (undescended testes), retention of nipples/areolae, and demasculinization (~incomplete masculinization) of the perineum, resulting in reduced anogenital distance. Risk assessment demonstrated that some phthalates should be permanently banned, removed from the banned list, or remain interim banned. Biomonitoring and toxicology data provided the strongest basis for a mixture risk assessment. In contrast, external exposure data were the weakest and need to be upgraded for epidemiological studies and risk assessments. Such studies would focus on routes and sources. The review presents recommendations and uncertainties.
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lioy
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Russ
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gennings
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: University of Washington (retired), Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Mirkes
authors.affiliation: US Department of Health and Human Services (retired), Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
authors.forename: Bernard A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Schwetz
authors.affiliation: Brunel University, London, UK.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kortenkamp
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015370:Infant Equipment; D009656:North America; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D010795:Phthalic Acids; D010968:Plasticizers; C032279:phthalic acid