A new study at Karlstad University in Sweden shows that phthalates from PVC flooring materials is taken up by our bodies. Phthalates are substances suspected to cause asthma and allergies, as well as other chronic diseases in children. The study shows that children can ingest these softening agents with food but also by breathing and through the skin.

Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds that occur in construction materials and a great number of common consumer goods such as toys, cleaning solvents, packaging, etc. Phthalates are suspected of disrupting hormones and may be related to several chronic diseases in children, like asthma and allergies, as shown in earlier studies. Flooring materials using softened PVC contain phthalates and have previously been shown to be a significant source of phthalates in indoor dust. This new study was designed to investigate whether flooring materials using PVC and other housing-related factors, together with other individual factors, can be tied to the uptake of phthalates by infants.

Urine samples were taken from 83 randomly selected children between the ages of two and six months by the county council in Värmland in western Sweden. The prevalence of four types of phthalates in the urine was measured, and data were collected about flooring materials and the home, the family's lifestyle, and individual factors for the infants. The levels of certain phthalates (MBzP, a BBzP metabolite) proved to be higher in the urine of babies that had PVC materials on their bedroom floor. The levels of another phthalate metabolite related to DEHP were lower in two-month-old children if they were exclusively breastfed, with no supplements.

Earlier studies from the current group have shown that PVC flooring can be tied to the occurrence of phthalates in indoor dust, and that exposure for BBzP in indoor dust could be associated with allergic conditions in children. These new data thus show that the uptake of phthalates in infants can be related to flooring materials using softened PVC in the home. It should be pointed out that both DEHP and BBzP are banned for use in toys for small children owing to health risks.

"With this study as a basis, we can establish that there are other sources that should be taken into consideration in regard to the uptake of banned chemicals and that we do not only ingest them in our food," says Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, professor of public health at Karlstad University and leader of the study. The findings also show that phthalates can be taken up in different ways, both through food and probably through breathing and through the skin.

Phthalate studies point to several health problems

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital published a report in Environmental Health Perspectives which revealed that women with high phthalate levels in their urine have a considerably higher risk of developing diabetes, compared to those with the lowest levels. (Link to article)

Researchers from the Children's Environmental Health Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center found a link between obesity in young children and exposure to phthalates. (Link to article)

Scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center found in a pilot study that young boys whose mothers had high phthalate urine levels when they were pregnant were less likely to "play like boys" - engage in boyish banter, play fighting, and use masculine toys. (Link to article)

Phthalate concentrations were found in infants' urine by researchers from the CDC in Atlanta and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. The investigators said phthalates are widely used in baby care products, such as lotion, talc and shampoo. (Link to article)

A Finnish study found a link between phthalates and diabetes risk among elderly people; even when circulating phthalate levels were only moderately elevated their risk doubled. (Link to article)

At Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, scientists found "prenatal exposure to phthalates may adversely affect child mental, motor and behavioral development during the preschool years". (Link to article)

Scientists from the University of Michigan, in a large-scale study, confirmed a link between phthalate and BPA concentrations and thyroid hormone levels. Thyroid hormones play a key role in reproduction, metabolism, energy balance and other body functions. (Link to article)