- The EPA plans to regulate phthalate chemicals in workplace settings after completing a comprehensive risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
- Phthalates, widely used to make plastics flexible, are found in many consumer and industrial products and have been linked to hormone disruption and reproductive and developmental health risks at certain exposure levels.
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will regulate five phthalates, including BBP, DBP, DCHP, DEHP and DIBP, after finding unreasonable risks to workers and the environment.
- The EPA emphasized that health harms do not occur at all exposure levels, but risks arise when exposure exceeds safety thresholds in specific industrial uses.
- The agency will develop new rules in consultation with workers, businesses and communities to implement targeted, science-based protections that reduce risks and improve workplace and environmental safety.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to regulate the use of phthalate chemicals in work settings after completing a comprehensive risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Phthalates, primarily used as plasticizers in PVC products, are found in a wide range of industrial and consumer goods. A report by the Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) commission notes that certain phthalates can “trigger hormone dysregulation and reproductive and developmental problems for babies in-utero and infants.” These industrial chemicals, according to BrightU.AI‘s Enoch, are used to make plastics more flexible and resilient. They are commonly found in various consumer products, including food packaging, personal care items and children’s toys.
In line with this, Administrator Lee Zeldin announced in a Dec. 31 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the agency intended to regulate five phthalate chemicals: butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP).
“The Trump EPA just completed our TSCA risk evaluation of phthalates; the most comprehensive assessment of phthalates ever conducted by EPA. We are now announcing that, following gold standard science, promoting radical transparency of the research and data, and to Make America Healthy Again, we will regulate dozens of phthalate chemical uses after finding unreasonable risks to workers and the environment.
“We used the most rigorous scientific methods, including independent expert peer review, extensive public input and cutting-edge cumulative exposure analysis.
“MAHA activists were right, and the Trump EPA strongly agrees, that exposures in certain settings exceed safe levels and could cause endocrine disruption and reproductive health impacts,” Zeldin wrote on X.
EPA vows to work directly with stakeholders to keep workers and the environment safe from phthalates exposure
The EPA clarified that phthalates can cause endocrine disruption and hormone deficiencies, but health impacts “do not occur at all exposure levels.” The agency said the key factor in assessing risk is whether exposure exceeds levels that could harm workers or the environment.
For BBP, used in adhesives, floor coverings and rubber products, the EPA found two types of uses posed risks to workers and seven posed environmental risks. DEHP, used in paints, industrial polishes and textiles, had 10 uses identified as risky for employees and 20 posing environmental hazards. Similar assessments were made for DBP, DCHP and DIBP.
In response, the EPA will now develop rules to address the identified risks.
“The agency will conduct extensive consultation with workers, businesses, labor groups and communities to develop targeted, practical protections that ensure worker safety and environmental protection. Personal protective equipment, engineering controls and alternative approaches will be carefully evaluated to create effective, implementable solutions that protect those most at risk,” the EPA wrote on their official website.
Moreover, Zeldin assured the public that the EPA will work with stakeholders to create targeted, science-based protections.
“Our gold standard science delivered clear answers that these phthalates pose unreasonable risk to workers in specific industrial settings and to the environment,” said Zeldin. “We’ll work directly with stakeholders to develop targeted protections that keep workers safe and protect our environment. This is exactly what science-based environmental protection should look like.”
Watch this video to learn more about phthalates and plasticizers in our foods.
This video is from the Tammy Cuthbert Garcia channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
TheEpochTimes.com
X.com
EPA.gov
BrightU.ai
Brighteon.com
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