What is dibutyl phthalate?
Dibutyl phthalate is a synthetically produced chemical used in fragrances as well as a plasticizer and a solvent [1] [2]. It is oily, odorless, and colorless and it is used to make plastics more flexible as well as to add desirable qualities to insect repellents, hair sprays, and nail polish [2].What is products is dibutyl phthalate in?
Dibutyl phthalate is in a variety of personal care products like hair spray, insect repellent, and nail polish [2]. It is also used in some household cleaning products, plastics, glues, paints, and rocket fule [3].How to tell if a product has dibutyl phthalate
Dibutyl phthalate may be listed under a number of different ingredient names including: 1,2 benzenedicarboxylic acid, dbp (ester), dibutyl ester, butyl phthalate, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate, DBP, dibutyl ester 1,2-benzendicarboxylic acid, dibutyl phthalates, benzene-o-dicarboxylic acid di-n-butyl ester, celluflex dpb, di-n-butylphthalate, dibutyl [1]. Because it’s also used as a fragrance ingredient and fragrances are considered to be “trade secrets“, it can be difficult to know which fragranced products it is in.Risks associated with dibutyl phthalate
The European Commission has banned the use of dibutyl phthalate in personal care products and cosmetics and the State of California has classified it as a developmental and reproductive toxicant [1]. Health issues that can result from fetal exposure to dibutyl phthalate during pregnancy include:- Infertility
- Cryptorchidism
- Sperm development problems
- Effects similar to human testicular dysgenesis syndrome
- Anatomical changes in the reproductive development of baby boys [1] [3]
