The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that the agency will move to regulate dozens of applications of five widely used phthalate chemicals to reduce environmental and workplace risks.
“Our gold standard science delivered clear answers, that these phthalates pose unreasonable risk to workers in specific industrial settings and to the environment,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a written statement.
“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.”
The EPA announced its decision to regulate usage of Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP), Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP), and Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP), which are common chemicals used to make plastics more flexible in things from building materials to industrial applications. The agency said in its release that it used gold standard science and independent peer reviewers to research into determining the risks associated with exposure to these chemicals, which include hormone deficiencies and endocrine disruption.
The EPA will now develop rules to eliminate the risks associated with these chemicals by consulting with workers, businesses, labor groups, and communities to create practical protections to ensure worker safety and environmental protection.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a sub-institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), noted that although there are limited studies on the effects of phthalates on humans, there are many reproductive health and developmental problems found with phthalate exposure in animals. These include:
- Early onset of puberty
- Interfering with male reproductive tract development
- Interfering with the natural functioning of the hormone system
- Causing reproductive and genital defects
- Lower testosterone levels in adolescent males
- Lower sperm count in adult males
The EPA’s announcement is in furtherance of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. The EPA plans to roll out its MAHA agenda in the new year.
In the White House MAHA report, phthalates were cited as a substance that could cause hormone dysregulation and developmental problems for in utero infants. The MAHA report said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has restricted the usage of many phthalates in food packaging and that industry use has declined over time.
The EPA also announced on Wednesday its intent to regulate nearly one dozen 1,3-butadiene uses to protect American workers. 1,3-butadiene is a colorless gas used for manufacturing products including car tires, adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, and automotive care products. Exposure to this gas could lead to health risks including reduced birthweight pregnancies, anemia, leukemia, and bladder cancer.
