Exposure to phthalate esters does not mean there is a risk from them. Phthalate esters are among the most widely studied compounds in the world from a toxicity standpoint and have shown no adverse human health effects. Although consumers come into contact with vinyl products and may absorb trace amounts of phthalate esters into their system, scientific evidence has not shown any threat to human health. It appears that animal testing has shown some phthalates to be carcinogens. No, there is not any validated scientific evidence to indicate that phthalate esters pose health problems for humans.
Scientific research shows that rodents are uniquely sensitive to phthalate esters.
As a result, some phthalates have shown the potential to induce liver or kidney tumors when fed to laboratory animals at high doses for extended periods of time. Humans and other species respond very differently to the ingestion of the materials. In short, extremely high quantities of phthalate esters may pose health problems for rodents, but there is no evidence indicating the compounds pose any health risk for humans at realistic exposure levels. For 25 years these compounds have been researched and tested so they can be used safely. Based on the best evidence to date, we strongly believe phthalates are safe and pose no hazard to children or adults when properly used in vinyl products.