Phthalates are chemical products derived from oil and their main application is to convert materials into plastic or make them have plastic like qualities. The Phthalates are however used to make polyvinyl chloride popularly called PVC actually. There are many areas where the phthalates are being used in today including medical field. There are many materials like phthalates available too and there are many applications of these materials in various forms.
Phthalates are used because they are very flexible, durable and are cheaper than the others to buy. It is a volatile odorless looking material somewhat like oil. Phthalates are commonly used in some medical devices these days. The phthalates though cost less, it is a material which is used extensively and has valuable characteristics to add. They are being used in almost anything which needs these properties of phthalates. For example they are used in nail polish so that the nail color stays longer and doesn’t chip off and this because phthalates last on any surface.They are used in perfumes for the same reason. It is used in adhesives and sealants as it is very flexible and can gel with any material. It is used for making tools because it is very string and lasts long.The platform of application is as wide for phthalates as are its qualities.
Because phthalates have such wide spectrum of application they were used in testing for a combination with health products. Scientists are still conducting experiments the possible usage of phthalates in the medical field. If it is useful then it could be a great gift to medicine. There were a lot of researches conducted on the possible harms of phthalates to human body. Most of the results show that there is no damage to human health by using phthalates as an intake and there are no other environmental effects too.
Phthalates unlike any other material do not stay in the environment and they are bio degradable. Perhaps this is the single most beneficial factor for the usage of phthalates. They never collect in any other form on any surface be it human body or materials. If they are used as a medicinal intake by human beings they will disintegrate and digest and excreted. After an extensive research scientists concluded that phthalates cannot cause any harm to humans. Also it carries with it a long history of credibility in terms of its use and benefits.
The PVC products are flexible because of the phthalates and 90% of the phthalates are used in PVC production. PVC products are used almost everywhere and everyday in our lives. Complicated devices to simple things of convenience, all of them have PVC particles somewhere in their bodies.
Because the usage is so extensive we hardly pay attention to it or even look at it with so much importance. We actually take these things for granted as they are readily available. Packaging materials have those toys, cables, pipes that carry water, stationary, paints, cosmetics and adhesives and many more products have phthalates in some form or the other.
There have been articles stating that phthalates are actually toxic and can cause harm to the human body. They even indicate that high level exposures may cause cancer and it can lead to infertility in adults. Medical sciences advice a small and a negligible dosage of phthalates that is not capable of carrying so many toxins even if it is used regularly. They are not suggesting that you should have an 11 course meal of phthalates.
High dosages of phthalates are not safe and no body advices them in any circumstance as they have risks. Low dosages on the other hand can be very beneficial for various conditions in the human body. Earl Gray’s, a popular scientist and in his work he states that the male reproductive system can respond to phthalates in a very acute sense and their sexual desires as well as abilities. Dibutyl phthalate and diethylhexyl phthalates enhance male sexual characteristics.
The National Toxicological Program established another organization called the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction and this committee has appointed a team of experts to study the possible harms of phthalates in the human reproductive cycle. Most of the evaluations were plausible and not proven. But they never could come up with any serious dangers that caused immediate concerns. Because the results provided by the committee were all tentative no one took it seriously. However the committee grounded some forms of phthalates like the DEHP which could affect the sertoli cells.
The sertoli cells are crucial for a male re productive organ as they lead to sperm formation. If the DEHP damages these sertoli cells during the sperm is in the developmental stage the individual might have problems in adulthood. DEHP does not have any properties which can damage the sertoli directly but due to the metabolic changes in the system and after the consumption of phthalates another product called MEHP or the monoethylhexy phthalate is created and it has properties which can cause harm to sertoli. But it is an indirect cause and is not a sure shot one. Every time you consume phthalate does not result in the creation of MEHP. There are researches going on about MEHP and hwy it is created and what are the conditions and implications.
Last year there were some new research results which were publicized about the phthalates which indicated that there were harmful impacts on animals after using phthalates on them. They observed that on consumption of phthalates there was an impact on an enzyme called the aromatase which is needed for the male brains while attaining masculinity. The DEHP can also cause allergies and allergic reactions. Many people have also reported allergies after having phthalate contained tablets.
Pregnancy is a much more researched area and researches have found that there is an adverse effect on the genital development of male child because of phthalates. The genital changes in these male babies have a strong relation ship with the phthalate syndrome and almost seem identical. During lab researches they found similar observations when rodents were tested upon with phthalates.
The United States center for Disease control conducted some probe by using the urine samples to find out the exposure level of phthalates in the Americans. They found that phthalates level was high in spite of it being a residue. Soon after that a lot of researches started revealing astonishing facts. A Puerto Rican research indicated that if girls were exposed to phthalates then they may develop breasts much earlier than they are supposed to. Some researches indicated that continual usage of phthalate may reduce the semen quality in men. Some sperms had damaged DNA’s. Soon enough there were plenty of examples which indicated to the usage of phthalates as harmful in many researches world wide.
The debate is now even more intense with the question that should we or should we not use phthalates in medicines. The industry veterans see no damage and say that they have been around for 50 years and they have not damaged anything while the critics say that after tremendous research on animals they found out clearly that they cause harm. They even argue that if toys and other things which children used have phthalates they should be avoided as they cause harm in many ways to women and men.
If the medicines that we consume have phthalates or are coated with the substance then the level of exposure is very high in people who have consumed those tablets. European countries are conducting researches to explore the possibility of banning phthalate content products especially for children and pregnant mothers. Even cosmetic products are going through a review as they contain phthalates.
A lot of debates are now existent in these various committees which discuss the usage of phthalates. If everyone had to just stop using the phthalates which happens to the cheapest, most economical and most useful product then it is going to be very difficult to find a material which is equally good and safe at the same time to replace it. Because they need something to do the job e=if they discontinue the usage of phthalates.
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