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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DIETHYL PHTHLATE 

CAS#: 75-34-3 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for Diethyl 

phthalate. It is one in a series of Public Health 

Statements about hazardous substances and their 

health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM is 

also available. This information is important 

because this substance may harm you. The effects 

of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on 

the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, 

personal traits and habits, and whether other 

chemicals are present. For more information, call 

the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. 

This Statement was prepared to give you 

information about diethyl phthalate and to 

emphasize the human health effects that may result 

from exposure to it. The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) has identified 1,397 sites on its 

National Priorities List (NPL). Diethyl phthalate 

has been found in at least 248 of these sites, one of 

which is located in Guam. However, we do not 

know how many of the 1,397 NPL sites have been 

evaluated for diethyl phthalate. As EPA evaluates 

more sites, the number of sites at which diethyl 

phthalate is found may change. This information is 

important for you to know because diethyl phthalate 

may cause harmful health effects and because these 

sites are potential or actual sources of human 

exposure to diethyl phthalate. 

When a chemical is released from a large area, such 

as an industrial plant, or from a container, such as a 

drum or bottle, it enters the environment as a 

chemical emission. This emission, which is also 

called a release, does not always lead to exposure. 

You can be exposed to a chemical only when you 

come into contact with the chemical. You may be 

exposed to it in the environment by breathing, 

eating, or drinking substances containing the 

chemical or from skin contact with it. 

If you are exposed to a hazardous chemical such as 

diethyl phthalate, several factors will determine 

whether harmful health effects will occur and what 

the type and severity of those health effects will be. 

These factors include the dose (how much), the 

duration (how long), the route or pathway by which 

you are exposed (breathing, eating, drinking, or skin 

contact), the other chemicals to which you are 

exposed, and your individual characteristics such as 

age, sex, nutritional status, family traits, life-style, 

and state of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS DIETHYL PHTHLATE? 

Diethyl phthalate is a man-made colorless liquid 

with a slight aromatic odor and a bitter, 

disagreeable taste. Trade names include neantine, 

peilatinol A, and solvanol. Diethyl phthalate is 

manufactured for many uses. It is commonly used 

to make plastics more flexible. Because diethyl 

phthalate is not a part of the chain of chemicals 

(polymers) which makes up the plastics, it can be 

released fairly easily from these products. These 

plastics are found in products such as toothbrushes, 

automobile parts, tools, toys, and food packaging. 

Diethyl phthalate is also used in cosmetics, 

insecticides, and aspirin. 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO DIETHYL 

PHTHLATE WHEN IT ENTERS THE 

ENVIRONMENT? 

Diethyl phthalate may enter the environment in 

industrial waste waters, by evaporation into the air 

from disposal sites, directly from consumer 

products, from the burning of plastic products, and 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DIETHYL PHTHLATE 

CAS#: 75-34-3 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

by leaking from landfills into soil or water including 

groundwater. In air, diethyl phthalate may break 

down into other products. It may also be deposited 

on the ground or in water by rain. Diethyl phthalate 

may also enter the environment by sticking onto 

dust particles. If released into water, diethyl 

phthalate may travel great distances in swiftly 

moving rivers. In more slowly moving waters, 

microorganisms in the water or sediment may break 

down some of the diethyl phthalate into nontoxic 

products. Sewage bacteria from industrial facilities 

may break down diethyl phthalate in waste waters. 

In soils containing organic matter (matter with high 

levels of carbon), diethyl phthalate may stick to 

particles where it may eventually break down. If 

there is little organic matter in the soil, diethyl 

phthalate may move down through the soil and 

enter the groundwater. Many microorganisms are 

able to break down diethyl phthalate to carbon 

dioxide and other harmless products. Small 

amounts of diethyl phthalate can build up in animals 

that live in water, such as fish and oysters. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

DIETHYL PHTHLATE? 

You may be exposed to diethyl phthalate in 

consumer products and plastics. You may also be 

exposed during the manufacturing or disposal of 

products that contain diethyl phthalate. Most 

exposure will result from inhalation of 

contaminated air or swallowing of contaminated 

drinking water or foods. The measured levels of 

diethyl phthalate in air, water, and soil are generally 

quite low. For example, diethyl phthalate has been 

measured at hazardous waste sites in the 

groundwater at 0.0125 parts of diethyl phthalate per 

million parts (ppm) of water, in surface water at 

0.0121 ppm, and in soil at 0.039 ppm (on a weight 

basis, a part per million is equivalent to one unit of 

weight, such as one gram, of a chemical, in 

1,000,000 grams of a medium, such as water or 

soil). Diethyl phthalate has been found in drinking 

water at concentrations of 0.00001–0.0046 ppm, in 

industrial waste waters at 0.00001–0.060 ppm, in 

river waters at 0.00006–0.044 ppm, and in 

sediments from other large bodies of water 

(Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico) at up to 

0.042 ppm. The amount of diethyl phthalate in soil 

is unknown. However, diethyl phthalate will 

probably be rapidly decomposed by soil bacteria, so 

that little will be taken up into plants. Diethyl 

phthalate has been measured in indoor air (in a 

telephone switching office) at 0.00018–0.00022 

ppm and in outdoor air (Newark, New Jersey) at 

0.00004–0.00006 ppm. Fish taken from 

contaminated waters had up to about 2 ppm of 

diethyl phthalate in their tissues. Oysters contained 

up to about 1 ppm. Diethyl phthalate in plastic 

packaging may get into food and has been found in 

packaged food (quiche) at concentrations of about 

2–5 ppm. The daily human intake of diethyl 

phthalate has been estimated to be 4 milligrams 

(mg) based on food intake, but the annual exposure 

from drinking contaminated drinking water has 

been estimated to be quite low (0.0058 

mg/year/person). 

Occupational exposure to diethyl phthalate is 

possible as a result of its use in plastics and other 

products such as cosmetics and insect repellents. 

The National Occupational Exposure Survey 

estimated that over 239,000 employees could 

potentially be exposed to diethyl phthalate in the 

workplace. Diethyl phthalate was found in plants 

that manufacture rubber products at concentrations 

up to 0.0013 ppm. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DIETHYL PHTHLATE 

CAS#: 75-34-3 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

1.4 HOW CAN DIETHYL PHTHLATE ENTER 

AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Diethyl phthalate can enter your body when you 

breathe air, drink water, or eat food containing it. It 

can also enter your body through your skin. It is 

possible that exposure could occur near hazardous 

waste sites, at manufacturing facilities, or through 

the use of consumer products containing the 

substance. If you get it on your skin, your body will 

probably absorb only a small amount of it. We do 

not know how much you will absorb if you breathe 

or eat it. Once it enters your body, it breaks down 

into other chemicals, some of which are harmful. 

Diethyl phthalate and its breakdown products will 

leave your body mostly in the urine within about 2 

days. Only small amounts of the compound or its 

breakdown products will remain in the tissues. 

1.5 HOW CAN DIETHYL PHTHLATE 

AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

No information is available regarding the possible 

effects caused by diethyl phthalate if you breathe, 

eat, drink, or have skin contact with it. Because no 

studies involving humans exposed exclusively to 

diethyl phthalate are available, we must rely on 

studies in laboratory animals. Furthermore, there is 

no information on the effects of breathing diethyl 

phthalate in laboratory animals. Diethyl phthalate 

has caused death in animals given very high doses 

by mouth, but brief oral exposures to lower doses 

caused no harmful effects. One effect found in 

animals that ate high doses of diethyl phthalate for 

long periods of time was a decrease in weight gain. 

This effect may have occurred because they ate less 

food, or because they excreted more of the food 

they ate. The livers and kidneys of these animals 

were larger than normal, but not from any harmful 

effect. Other studies noted the presence of an extra 

rib in rat fetuses whose mothers were given very 

high dietary levels of diethyl phthalate, but this 

effect is not considered harmful by all scientists. 

Diethyl phthalate is not known to cause cancer in 

humans or animals. Unlike other phthalates such as 

di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diethyl phthalate does 

not appear to affect the ability of male animals to 

father babies (see ATSDR toxicological profile for 

di[2-ethylhexyl] phthalate for more information on 

this chemical). However, a decrease occurred in the 

number of live babies born to female animals that 

were exposed to diethyl phthalate throughout their 

lives. Some birth defects occurred in newborn rats 

whose mothers received high doses (approximately 

3 g/kg) of diethyl phthalate by injection during 

pregnancy. However, humans are not exposed to 

diethyl phthalate this way, and no information is 

available on whether this chemical can cause birth 

defects when given by mouth. 

Diethyl phthalate can be mildly irritating when 

applied to the skin of animals. It can also be 

slightly irritating when put directly into the eyes of 

animals. We have no information on the health 

effects of diethyl phthalate when applied to the skin 

for long periods of time. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO DIETHYL PHTHLATE? 

Chemical tests are available to determine diethyl 

phthalate levels in semen, fat, and kidney tissues. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DIETHYL PHTHLATE 

CAS#: 75-34-3 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The government has developed regulations and 

guidelines for diethyl phthalate. These are designed 

to protect the public from the possible harmful 

health effects of the chemical. Under laws that 

relate to Superfund sites, EPA has identified diethyl 

phthalate as a hazardous substance. This decision is 

based primarily on the large number of Superfund 

sites where diethyl phthalate is found. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) regulates levels of diethyl phthalate in the 

workplace. The maximum amount of diethyl 

phthalate allowed in workroom air during an 8-hour 

workday, 40-hour workweek, is 5 milligrams per 

cubic meter (mg/m3). See Chapter 7 for more 

information on regulations and guidelines. The 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) also recommends a similar 

maximum air concentration of 5 mg/m3 for 

workplace exposure. 

1.8 WHERE CAN I GET MORE 

INFORMATION? 

If you have any more questions or concerns, 

please contact your community or state health or 

environmental quality department or: 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology 

1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

Information line and technical assistance: 

Phone: 888-422-8737 

FAX: (770)-488-4178 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of 

occupational and environmental health clinics. 

These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, 

and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to 

hazardous substances. 

To order toxicological profiles, contact: 

National Technical Information Service 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000 

Reference 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological profile for diethyl 

phthlate. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services, Public Health Service. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov