BACKGROUND Phthalates are synthetic chemicals and ubiquitous environmental contaminants, with hormonal activity that may alter the course of pubertal development in children. OBJECTIVES To determine whether exposure to phthalate metabolites is associated with timing of pubertal development in a cross-sectional study of a school-based clustered sample of 503 children from a suburban district i...

The hepatic effects of phthalate esters and related compounds on peroxisomal and microsomal enzyme activities were investigated in the intact animal and in primary hepatocyte cultures. In vitro studies with a series of phthalate monoesters demonstrated structure activity differences in the induction of the specific peroxisomal marker KCN-insensitive palmitoyl-CoA oxidation and also of carnitine...

Phthalate esters are commonly used plasticizers; however, some are suspected to cause reproductive toxicity. Administration of high doses of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) induces germ cell death in male rodents. Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), a hydrolyzed metabolite of DEHP, appears to be responsible for this testicular toxicity; however, the underlying mechanism of this chemical's ...

Two articles in the March 2014 issue of EHP were of particular interest to exposure scien tists and phthalate researchers. The news article by Nicole (2014) emphasized the importance of the vaginal epithelium as an exposure route for chemicals in per­ sonal care products and the general lack of research on this exposure route. However, the article did not mention adult toys as a pos­ sible sour...

Phthalate esters (PEs) are plasticizers used in many plastic products, food packaging materials, and medical bags. The widespread use of PEs has led to ubiquitous environmental contamination and human-exposure. Several epidemiological studies have indicated that exposure to PEs, especially during the prenatal period, induces adverse effects, including developmental and behavioral abnormalities,...

The occurrence of 14 phthalate metabolites was found in human urine samples collected from seven Asian countries: China, India, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Phthalate metabolites were found in all samples, indicating widespread exposure of humans to phthalates in these Asian countries. The highest total (the sum of 14 phthalates) phthalate metabolite concentrations were found in...

BACKGROUND Phthalates impair rodent testicular function and have been associated with anti-androgenic effects in humans, including decreased testosterone levels. Low testosterone in adult human males has been associated with increased prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. OBJECTIVES Our objective in this study was to investigate phthalate exposure and its associations with ...

Introduction: Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is one of the most abundant phthalate esters and it is widely used as softeners in plastic products. Malformation, carcinogenicity, the poisoning of the reproductive system, and also the disruption of the human endocrine system are the harmful effects of these substances. Materials and Methods: In this research, the removal of di (2-ethylhexyl) phthal...