Dust-Bustin’ Phthalates Phound by Physicians To Phoster Asthma in Kids

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They’re baaaaaaaaack. And they’re just as unavoidably unphun (not to mention impossibly unpronounceable) as ever. We’re talking about phthalates (“fuh-thow-lates”), a class of chemical compounds used in a wide variety of consumer and children’s products. Phthalates have been linked to all kinds of unhealthy unpleasantness in the past. Now a study has connected them to the scourge of childhood asthma sweeping the nation.

Childhood asthma has increased dramatically in the last 25 years. By some estimates, the incidence of the disease in children under 18 has doubled since 1982. Today, in fact, the disease is the leading chronic illness among children. According to a 2004 report from Harvard Medical School, between 1980 and 1994, the incidence of asthma among pre-school-aged children rose by 160 percent, over twice the rate at which it increased overall. Some 9 million children currently have asthma, or almost 1 in 13. The disease causes 14 million missed school days each year and $3.2 billion in treatment expenses.

Researchers struggling to explain this inexplicable epidemic have turned their attention to the ever increasing amounts of chemical contamination in the environment as a possible cause. One such study was conducted by a team of Swedish, Danish, and American researchers. Using a case-control design (in which cases, or test subjects, that exhibit the outcome under investigation, in this case children with asthma, are compared with those that do not), scientists randomly selected 198 asthmatic children and 202 healthy children from a group of 10,852 children assessed as part of a different study in the Swedish county of Värmland.

Dust, a primary destination of phthalates that escape from household products, was collected from each child’s home and tested for several different kinds of phthalates. Researchers found an association between the levels of phthalates present in a home’s dust and the incidence of asthma. Households with higher phthalate levels were more likely to contain children suffering from the disease. And a trend analysis showed that the greater the concentration of phthalates, the more severe the case was likely to be. Specifically, the study revealed that di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, was linked to asthma while butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBzP, was associated with rhinitis (inflammation of the nose) and eczema (an irritation of the skin).

Phthalates are a group of industrial compounds widely used in a variety of common products. About 7.6 billion pounds are produced throughout the world each year. The largest use of these chemicals is as a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In fact, almost 50% of all phthalates produced are used in PVC production. PVC and other plastic products, including many children’s toys, rely on phthalates to keep them flexible. Without the addition of these plasticizers, such otherwise pliant materials would be fairly stiff and difficult to use for their intended purposes.

Phthalates are also used as solvents in chemical formulas. In this role, they help keep other ingredients in a formula dissolved and dispersed throughout the product. This ability to keep a chemical product evenly mixed makes phthalates an ideal additive in things like cosmetics, personal care products, perfumes, inks, and insect repellents, among many others. Phthalates are also used in products like lotions to help them penetrate and soften skin. In fact, these chemicals are now used in so many products and in so many places that they’ve even begun to appear as contaminants in products that don’t purposefully contain them.

As useful as they are, phthalates have a peculiar problem: they are easily volatized, which means that at room temperature, they are readily able to migrate out of the product they’re used in without any help. This includes solid products like plastics. Of course, you won’t find bits of phthalate falling off your vinyl siding or oozing out of your hairspray. Instead, phthalates usually leave the products they’re hiding in as vapors that then settle on surfaces and enter the human body via the lungs. The “new car smell” we’re all so used to (not to mention the strange oily film on the inside of new car windshields), for example, is largely the result of phthalate vapors from vinyl dashboards and other parts evaporating into the air.

When phthalates settle on household surfaces, they contaminate the dust that settles there as well. When this dust enters the body, all kinds of unhealthy effects can ensue. In addition to asthma, eczema, and rhinitis, scientists have linked phthalates to reproductive and developmental disorders, cancer, and organ damage.

To keep these toxins out of your home and away from the adults and children living there, experts suggest taking these steps:

• Don’t buy any product that contains n-butyl benzyl phthalate or di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate. Similarly, avoid products that contain phthalic acid, phthalic anhydride, phthalic glycols, or any ingredient that starts with or contains the nearly rather alien letter combination “phth”. Note, however, that many products that contain phthalates do not list them on their labels. So an ingredients panel free of phthalate references does not by any stretch indicate a phthalate-free product.  Your best bet is to be wary of clear, soft flexible plastics (usually made with vinyl) and other vinyl products. Everything from shower curtains to children’s toys, including teething rings and other similar products that are made from vinyl, contain phthalates. Before buying a soft plastic item, especially a toy, call the manufacturer and ask them to verify that the product is phthalate-free and uses other materials for plasticizing.
• Use only 100 percent natural cosmetics and personal care products. Synthetic versions of these products are two of the leading sources of phthalates in the home. Chemical formula hair sprays, gels and mousses, antiperspirants and deodorants, nail polishes, and perfumes in particular should be avoided. Remember, however, that the world “natural” on cosmetic and personal care product labels is unregulated and can mean anything!
• Use a HEPA vacuum on floors and surfaces, which will capture and contain the smallest particles of contaminated dust. Vacuum floors and upholstered surfaces at least once a week to avoid dust build-up. Vacuum or wash curtains and drapes frequently.
• When dusting, don’t use a feather duster or other similar tool. These simply stir settled dust back into the air where it can be more easily inhaled. Instead, use a slightly damp cloth and change it often. This will help you actually remove accumulated dust from the home rather than simply redistribute it. Statically-charged dusters that actually attract and hold dust rather that simply scatter it around can also be used with some success. Just be careful where you shake them clean!
• Don’t use conventional commercial spray cleaners or furniture waxes when dusting. These contain a wide variety of synthetic chemicals and pound for pound represent some of the most toxic cleaning products available.
• Keep all your home’s walkways and entrances free of dirt, soils, and other things that can get tracked into the house and converted to dust.
• Make liberal use of welcome mats around doors to remove particles attached to shoes before those shoes enter your home. Clean and vacuum these mats regularly to make sure they don’t become a source of dust themselves.
• Consider asking guests and family members to remove their shoes whenever they enter your home, especially in urban areas. Shoes are one of the prime conduits by which pollutants enter the typical house.
• Cut down on your clutter. Clutter not only attracts dust, it makes it harder to clean effectively. Whenever and wherever you can, store and display collections and knick knacks in glass cabinets or display cases.

For a copy of the phthalates study visit http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2004/7187/abstract.html.