[Toxicity of the PVC-plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (author's transl)]

The plastizicer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is produced in hundreds of thousands tons and has got a widespread use in a multitude of PVC-plast products. In the present review the toxicology and possible harmful environmental effects of DEHP is discussed. The four following topics have also been considered: 1. The solubility of DEHP in water and the complex between DEHP and fulvic acid. 2. Residues and metabolites of DEHP in fish and invertebrates. 3. The metabolites of DEHP in rat, where four major metabolites have been found (fig. 1). 4. The problem concerning residues of DEHP in blood stored in PVC plastic bags for transfusion and the relationship of DEHP to microaggregation of platelets in stored blood. Although the oral LD50 in the rat, mouse and rabbit is about 30 g/kg, its toxicology reveals problematic features such as high toxicity to some invertebrates, specific effects on the nervous system of fish and teratogenic effects in rats.