Last night in the UK (27 May) at peak viewing time (7.30 pm), a consumer program
named 3 out of 9 brands of ABM whose manufacturers have admitted that their
product contains chemicals called phthalates.  The names mentioned were Cow &
Gate, Milupa and Farley's Heinz.  In the display of ABMs piled up in front of
the presenter I recognised SMA white, Forward and Wyse, although these were not
named.

The UK government has said that it's OK to keep using these products and not to
worry......('course, they said that about beef, BSE and CJD, so the credibility
isn't quite 100%!).  The program didn't mention breastfeeding once.

I remember a program on alligators in Florida's everglades which had been
exposed to "estrogen mimics" or "synthetic estrogens" as this class of
chemicals is known.  The alligators failed to develop normal testes/ovaries and
gender was often not determinable by inspection, such was the degree of
malformation or absence of genitalia.  A similar study in the UK on Salmon in
rivers showed alarmingly similar results.

I was sufficiently concerned to do a little more digging......

The most common uses of phthalates are in the plastics industry, and for those
with Netscape or another web browser, try reading the page at
http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/htdocs/ARC/ARC_RAC/Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate.html

This page is part of a US government database on substances which "are
reasonably expected to be carcinogenic".  This is typical of where you end up
when you do a search on the keyword "phthalate" - a dangerous substances
database.  For those without access, I chose a very common chemical indeed -
it's called di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, as an example.

To avoid you actually having to read all of the following, it is easily
dissolved in body fluids like Saliva and Plasma, but not in water, it's
everywhere and the highest levels have been detected in cheese and milk!  No
data is available on carcinogenicity in Humans, yet, but it dosen't do mice
much good.

Here's a little of what the US government's ARC Anticipated Carcinogens list
has to say......

>>>>>>>>Snippet starts here >>>>>>>>>>>
CARCINOGENICITY

There is sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of di(2- ethylhexyl)
phthalate in experimental animals (NTP 217, 1982; IARC V.29, 1982; IARC S.7,
1987). When administered in the diet, di(2- ethylhexyl) phthalate increased the
incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas in female rats, liver neoplastic nodules
or hepatocellular carcinomas in male rats, and hepatocellular carcinomas in
mice of both sexes.

An IARC Working Group reported there were no adequate data available to
evaluate the carcinogenicity of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in humans (IARC
V.29, 1982; IARC S.7, 1987).

PROPERTIES

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is a colorless liquid with a slight odor. It is
insoluble in water, miscible with mineral oil and hexane, and soluble in most
organic solvents. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is easily dissolved in body fluids
such as saliva and plasma.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is available in the United States in a variety of
technical grades. Typical product specifications are: 99.0%-99.6% minimal ester
content; 0.1% maximal moisture content; and 0.007%-0.01% acidity (as acetic
acid orphthalic acid).

USE

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is used primarily as one of several plasticizers in
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins for fabricating flexible vinyl products.
According to CPSC, EPA, and FDA, these PVC resins are used to manufacture many
products, including teething rings, pacifiers, soft squeeze toys, balls, vinyl
upholstery, tablecloths, shower curtains, raincoats, adhesives, polymeric
coatings, components of paper and paperboard, defoaming agents, enclosures for
food containers, animal glue, surface lubricants, flexible devices for
administering parenteral solutions, and other products that must stay flexible
and noninjurious for the lifetime of their use. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate also
is used to manufacture vinyl gloves used for medical examinations and surgery
(about 500 million pairs annually).

The only significant nonplasticizer use for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is as a
replacement for polychlorinated biphenyls in dielectric fluids for electric
capacitors. The following miscellaneous uses for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
have been reported: as a solvent in erasable ink; as an acaricide for use in
orchards; as an inert ingredient in pesticides; as a component of cosmetic
products; as a vacuum pump oil; in detecting leaks in respirators; and in the
testing of air filtration systems. Several of these reported applications are
believed to be no longer practiced or never to have been carried out on
a commercial scale (IARC V.29, 1982).


EXPOSURE

The primary routes of potential human exposure to di(2- ethylhexyl) phthalate
are inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. The entire population is exposed
to low levels of this widely used plasticizer. About 300 million lb of
di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate are used each year to manufacture plastic products
for commercial, medical, and consumer use. Plasticizers such as di(2-
ethylhexyl) phthalate do not become a permanent part of the plastic matrix
during the manufacturing process; thus, under certain use or disposal
conditions, they can migrate from plastic products into the environment (ATSDR,
1989g).

A high-risk segment of the population consists of individuals receiving
dialysis treatments or large quantities of blood that have contacted
di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-containing tubing or containers. Among this
population are hemophiliacs and dialysis patients. Large-volume parenteral
formulations that are administered intravenously as replenishers (i.e., fluids,
nutrients, electrolytes) are packaged in flexible containers made from
polyvinyl chloride that contain phthalate as a plasticizer; the estimated
concentration of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in replenishers is less than 5 ppm.
Another
high-risk population includes workers exposed to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
during the formulation and processing of plastics. The total pool of such
workers numbers about 600,000 in the United States, although only a small
percentage receives high exposures (ATSDR, 1989g). The ACGIH recommended
threshold limit value (TLV) for an 8-hr time- weighted average (TWA) is 5 mg/m3
and 10 mg/m3 for a 15-min short- term exposure limit (STEL) (ACGIH, 1986). The
National Occupational Exposure Survey (1981-1983) indicated that 147,848
workers, including 50,694 women, were potentially exposed to di(2- ethylhexyl)
phthalate (NIOSH, 1984). This estimate was derived from observations of the
actual use of the compound (4% of total observations) and the use of tradename
products known to contain the compound (96%).

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is known to be widely distributed in the environment
and has been detected in soil samples, animal and human tissues, and various
forms of marine life. The Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (EPA) listed 261
industrial facilities that produced, processed or otherwise used
di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in 1988 (TRI, 1990). In compliance with the
Community- Right-to-Know Program, the facilities reported releases of di(2-
ethylhexyl) phthalate to the environment which were estimated to total 1.1
million lb. The chemical is biodegradable but tends to partition into sediment
where it is relatively persistent. In general, concentrations of
di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in fresh waters lie within a range of <1-10 5g/l,
although occasionally much higher values have been observed (1-85 5g/l in U.S.
water basins surrounded by heavy concentrations of industry). Another potential
source of exposure is the leaching of the chemical from plastic articles in
landfills (ATSDR, 1989g; IARC V.29, 1982).

Because of its low solubility in water and its low vapor pressure, exposure to
di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in either water or air appears to be minimal for
most individuals. It is generally accepted that low levels of phthalates occur
in the
atmosphere throughout the United States, with higher levels near release
sources. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is a ubiquitous contaminant, and that it is
an experimental carcinogen in animals is cause for some concern. For the
general
population, the most likely route of exposure is through contaminated food,
which provides an average of about 0.3 mg/day and a maximum of about 2 mg/day
per individual. The greatest risk of exposure for the general population is the
contact of food with high fat or oil content with containers and wrappings
containing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. The compound is highly lipophilic and
oily or fatty foods may tend to extract it, thereby potentially exposing
consumers to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. FDA currently allows the use of
di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate plasticized containers or wrappings only for foods
that primarily contain water; therefore, properly packaged foods are unlikely
to become contaminated (ATSDR, 1989g). The FDA ruling, however, does not
preclude the possible misuse of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate plasticized
containers or wrappings by the consumer. The highest levels have been detected
in milk and cheese (ATSDR, 1989g).

>>>> Snippet ends here >>>>>>>>>

Now call me cynical, but here we are in the midst of an epidemic of fertility
related problems (low sperm count, lots of IVF, etc), which just happens to be
hitting the generation(s) which were most likely to have been ABM fed........

But don't worry, the (UK) government says it's OK.

I better stop here and do some work.....


    Paul ( Remote keyboard attachment for Anabel, NCT BF Counsellor, Ascot, UK)




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Paul Hands                              email : [log in to unmask]
Applications Engineering Manager
Mentor Graphics UK Ltd.
Newbury, Berkshire,
England.
Tel : +(44) 1635 811411      Direct Dial +(44) 1635 811492
Fax : +(44) 1635 810108      Mobile      +(44) 1836 561084

Disclaimer : All opinions expressed are MINE, not those of Mentor Graphics.

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