CEBU, Philippines - “Food products and food additives imported from Taiwan are being monitored,” assures Dr. Suzette Lazo, Food and Drug Administration director, to an alarmed public after the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office informed the Philippine government of possible contamination of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP.
This Department of Health advisory stressed that “DEHP is widely used as a plasticizer in the manufacturing of articles such as intravenous bags and tubing, blood bags and infusion tubing and nasogastric tubes.”
It was recently found to be illegally added to a food product raw material intended for emulsification. “While low doses of DEHP are generally safe, high doses or prolonged exposure can have harmful effects,” the advisory read. “Children are especially prone to the harmful effects of high doses of DEHP or to repeated exposure which can lead to testicular effects, fertility problems and toxicity to kidneys.”
Positive note is that information came straight from the Taiwan government which alerted the DOH on a company that may have imported food products containing additives contaminated by DEHP to the Philippines.
“Efforts to trace local counterpart of this company are currently in progress,” the advisory added.
According to the DEHP Information Centre, DEHP is a cost-effective general-purpose plasticizer which is used mainly for making PVC soft and pliable. It is otherwise known as di-octyl phthalate or DOP.
DEHP is the choice of medical device manufacturers because soft PVC in medical articles saves thousands of lives and increase the comfort and safety of millions of patients every year. “No other material meets all the vital performance qualities demanded by health professionals and at such affordable prices,” this was pointed out.
DEHP is also preferred for its improved melt viscosity, thereby offering the advantage of low costs and increased production efficiency.
Plasticizers: Essential to everyday lives
A plasticizer is a substance which when added to a material, usually a plastic, makes it flexible, resilient and easier to handle. Early examples of plasticizers include water to soften clay, and oils to plasticize pitch for waterproofing ancient boats. Today, modern plasticizers are manmade organic chemicals; esters, such as adipates and phthalates.
Without plasticizers, unique PVC (widely used and versatile plastic) products such as electrical cables, synthetic leather and many life-saving medical devices would not exist today.
Plasticizers are not just additives (like pigments or fillers), they are major components that determine the physical properties of polymer products (e.g. degree of flexibility, resistance to heat, durability).
Other applications
Aside from medical devices like blood bags, DEHP is extensively used in PVC for the building and construction industry.
Further info read that “PVC (plasticized polyvinyl chloride) is the most widely used polymer in building and construction applications and over 50 percent of Western Europe’s annual PVC production is used in this sector. This includes a considerable amount of flexible PVC that is plasticized with phthalates like DEHP.”
There are two main applications for DEHP-plasticized PVC in building and construction: cladding (facing for buildings) and roofing membranes because of its durability, high thermal insulation and excellent weathering performance with good resistance to UV light and ozone. The other application is for cables, flooring and wall covering.
DEHP is also used in other PVC and non-PVC applications like:
• Hoses and profiles. DEHP-plasticized PVC is used for flexible hoses and profiles (gaskets) that make the items durable and highly resistant to weathering.
• Shoe soles. DEHP-plasticized PVC is used for many shoe soles because of its flexibility, durability and anti-slip properties.
• Sealing. One of the non-PVC applications of DEHP is sealing, which is often applied to windows and doors for improved insulation.
• Others: Industrial doors, flexible containers, curtains for lorries and train compartments, sports mats, swimming pool covers, tarpaulins, signs, shower curtains, napkins, stationery films, book binding, maps and folders, roofing materials, water beds, furniture, luggage, traffic cones, buoys, disposable gloves and dipped tool handles.