Dust collected from the homes of children with persistent allergic symptoms had higher levels of certain phthalates, a class of common chemical additives, in it than dust found in homes of children without symptoms, according to a study published today in the October issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). (In honor of Children’s Health Month, the October issue of EHP is focused specifically on children’s environmental health.) The study of 198 symptomatic children and 202 control children found associations between certain phthalate compounds and asthma, rhinitis, and eczema. The study shows that phthalates, within the range of what is normally found in indoor environments, are associated with allergic symptoms in children.
Phthalates are widely used in plastic products such as food containers and wraps to add flexibility. They are also used in skin softeners and moisturizers, nail polishes, insect repellants, shower curtains, hairsprays, building products including polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring, and more. Because phthalates leach out of these products, they've become a ubiquitous environmental contaminant.
The increase in the incidence of allergy and asthmas in the developed world over the last 30 years suggests that changes in environmental exposure, rather than genetic changes, are the cause. The worldwide production of compounds from phthalates has risen from very low levels at the end of World War II to approximately 3.5 million metric tons per year.
