What is the best alternative to DEHP for medical-grade PVC
While phthalate esters such as DEHP are the most widely used plasticizers for flexible PVC medical compounds and have been for 50 years, issues concerning their possible effects on human health have caused some device manufacturers to consider compounds containing alternative plasticizers. Sometimes the pressure to do so is considerable.
Eliminating DEHP Plasticizer in Medical-Grade PVC
Eliminating DEHP Plasticizer in Medical-Grade PVC The plasticizers used to render PVC flexible constitute about a third of the vinyl compound by weight and have a significant effect on overall properties and performance.
Plasticisers for medical applications | PVCMed Alliance
The phthalate DEHP used to be the main plasticizer in medical PVC due to its technical properties and low cost. The substance has been under increasing scrutiny by regulatory and medical authorities, and in the EU its continued use in medical devices after May 2025 requires robust justification.
The Long Goodbye to DEHP-plasticized PVC | mddionline.com
The idea of scrapping the use of polyvinylchloride (PVC) materials containing di (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) plasticizers is not new. However, despite such endeavors, both PVC and DEHP plasticizer still abound in a variety of products, including garden hoses, building materials, toys, and such medical devices as, catheters, feeding tubes, and IV sets.
Materials degradation in PVC medical devices, DEHP leaching
At room temperature PVC is hard and brittle, thus great amounts (40-50%) of phthalate esters that act as plasticizers are added to the polymer to make it flexible and appropriate for medical use. Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) is the most widely used plasticizer in PVC medical devices.
- Why is DEHP used in plasticization and processing of PVC?
- The excellent performance of DEHP in the plasticization and processing of PVC explains its wide use in medical devices over the past few years. The strategy was to adjust the chemical nature of the lateral alkyl chains in order to reduce the leaching of the plasticizers into the surrounding medium.
- Which plasticizer is used to soften PVC medical devices?
- Appropriate analytical methods are developed to quantify them in different matrices. Until 2010, diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) was the plasticizer most commonly used to soften PVC medical devices (MDs), because of a good efficiency/cost ratio.
- Does plasticizer release a PVC MD into a simulant solution?
- We then tested the developed method on 32 PVC MDs used in our hospital and evaluated the plasticizer release from a PVC MD into a simulant solution during a 24 h migration test. The results showed a predominance of TOTM in PVC MDs accompanied by DEHP (<0.1% w/w), DEHT, and sometimes DEHA.
- What are the alternative plasticizers for PVC MDS?
- This resulted in the commercialization of PVC MDs plasticized with the DEHP alternative plasticizers tri-octyl trimellitate (TOTM), di- (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT), di-isononyl cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), di- (2-ethylhexy) adipate (DEHA), and Acetyl tri- n -butyl citrate (ATBC).
- What is the best plasticizer for medical grade PVC?
- Such alloys have enhanced electrical properties, high temperature stability, greater low temperature flexibility, and superior barrier properties. The most preferred plasticizer for medical grade PVC is DEHP commonly known as DOP even though other plasticizers could be used for specialized applications.
- Should heparin coatings avoid the leaching of plasticizer Di 2 ethylhexyl phthalate?
- According to the literature, heparin coatings should avoid the leaching of the plasticizer di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) into the blood from components made from plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC). DEHP and its metabolites are known to impair the fertility of male rodents; effects on human fertility are assumed.
