Statement

New Study Finds Adverse Effects of Cumulative Phthalate Exposure "Unlikely"

ARLINGTON, VA (July 9, 2009) –Dr. Robert Benson, a risk assessment researcher acting independently from his role in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has assessed the daily human dose of all the phthalates that show adverse effects in rats to see if the combined effects would exceed EPA safety levels. His conclusion, published in the March 2009 issue of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology stated that “…it is unlikely that humans are suffering adverse effects from current environmental exposure to these phthalate esters.”

ACC Managing Director, Chris Bryant, issued the following statement:

“Dr. Benson is the first to conduct a comprehensive analysis of possible risk from the cumulative daily dose of phthalates experienced by humans.  Dr. Benson used two different methods of adding up the human doses based on the latest science, and got the same result: average daily human exposure to all the measured phthalates combined, does not even reach the most stringent safety level set by the EPA.  This finding is consistent with what we have observed all along – that phthalates do not migrate out of products easily and they do not build up in the body; instead, they begin to break down within minutes and are gone from the body in less than 24 hours.

“Dr. Benson’s work should go a long way toward replacing speculation about the cumulative effects of phthalates exposure with sound scientific analysis.”

Learn more about phthalates.