Nontoxic Alternatives to Phthalate Plasticizers for PVC

Phthalates are synthetic chemicals added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make flexible plastics. Due to health concerns, phthalates have been banned from children’s products in the United States and Europe, but they are still used in a wide range of consumer products, including food wrap, medical devices, automotive parts, and building materials., chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormone systems. Effects on wildlife of phthalates in the environment are also a concern. Phthalates are readily absorbed by the body through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. Phthalate exposure has been associated with reproductive and developmental abnormalities in animal studies. Epidemiological studies in humans also suggest that exposure to phthalates may have adverse health effects, including reproductive abnormalities that can lead to infertility. Phthalates are metabolized by the body into compounds that are considered endocrine disruptors. Because phthalates are not chemically bound to the PVC polymer, they tend to migrate out of plastic products and into the environment. The same is true of alternative plasticizers currently on the market. Dr. Rebecca Braslau’s laboratory has developed an approach to use compounds to replace phthalates that can be chemically attached to the PVC polymer chain: “internal plasticizers.” University of California, Santa Cruz Industry Alliances & Technology Commercialization innovation@ucsc.edu 831.459.5415