Trends for plasticizers in German freshwater environments
Trends for plasticizers in German freshwater environments – Evidence for the substitution of DEHP with emerging phthalate and non-phthalate alternatives February 2025 Environmental Pollution 262
Trends for plasticizers in German freshwater environments - Evidence
Plasticizers are marketed in high volumes and Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is frequently detected in the environment and human populations. Industry had largely relied on DEHP until regulation started to restrict its marketing in 1999 due to environmental and human health concerns.
DOP Plasticizer | Eastman
Eastman DOP Plasticizer (Bis (2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate) is a light colored, low volatility, odorless liquid. It is the most widely used all-purpose plasticizer offered by Eastman for use with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins. It is insoluble in water and has a viscosity of 56 cP at 25°C.
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
DEHP is the most common phthalate plasticizer in medical devices such as intravenous tubing and bags, IV catheters, nasogastric tubes, dialysis bags and tubing, blood bags and transfusion tubing, and air tubes. DEHP makes these plastics softer and more flexible and was first introduced in the 1940s in blood bags.
PVC- and phthalate-free products multiply in medical
“It has been proven that DEHP or DOP exhibit repro-toxic characteristics and can be comparatively easily dissolved out of the material,” he said, adding that the current exemption for the use of these plasticizers in blood bags and transfusion tubes in the EU expires in three years.
- Which plasticizer has the highest DEHP concentration in Rehlingen/Saar?
- By 2017, the DEHP concentration in Rehlingen had dropped to 2080 ng/g dw. Currently, Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) is the plasticizer with the highest levels in the SPM samples (maximum value 4150 ng/g dw in Rehlingen/Saar).
- Do phthalates and plasticizers exist in German rivers?
- The aim of this study was to obtain spatial-temporal trends for DEHP and its substitutes in German rivers. We have investigated suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) for the presence of 23 plasticizers, i.e. 17 phthalates and 6 non-phthalates.
- What percentage of plasticizer load is derived from DEHP?
- In the early samples from the Elbe, DEHP contributed with 50–59% of the total plasticizer load. The share of DEHP was comparatively lower in SPM samples from Rhine and Saar (34–45%), where instead the shares of DINP and DIDP increased. By 2017, the profile patterns had changed significantly and at the same time aligned between the river basins.
- Do European phthalates reduce plasticizer levels in the aquatic environment?
- The European restriction on the use of LMW phthalates is not efficiently reducing the levels of plasticizers in the aquatic environment. We found an increasing number of substitutes in the German part of the three major European rivers Rhine, Danube and Elbe, as well as other waters in Germany.
- How much DEHP is in plastic?
- Plastics may contain 1% to 40% of DEHP. It is also used as a hydraulic fluid and as a dielectric fluid in capacitors. DEHP also finds use as a solvent in glowsticks. Approximately three million tonnes are produced and used annually worldwide.
- Are plasticizers a problem in Germany?
- We found an increasing number of substitutes in the German part of the three major European rivers Rhine, Danube and Elbe, as well as other waters in Germany. As a result, the total burden of plasticizers in the aquatic environment has hardly changed since 2005.
