Phthalates are used to make plastics softer and more flexible. Products that contain phthalates include food packaging, cosmetics, fragrances, hairspray, nail polish, pharmaceuticals, building materials, paints, automobiles, children’s toys, modeling clay, cleaning products and insecticides. Exposure can occur through direct contact with products containing phthalates, through leaching of phthalates into other products, or through general environmental contamination.
All Phthalate studies included in the timeline were performed at doses of 2 parts per million or less (2 mg/kg bw).