Risk Evaluation for Di-ethylhexyl phthalate - (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1,2- bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester) (DEHP)

In December 2024, EPA released the following draft technical support documents for the draft risk evaluation for di-ethylhexyl phthalate - (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1,2- bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester) (DEHP): human health non-cancer hazard, environmental hazard, and physical and chemical and environmental fate. The remaining draft documents and draft risk evaluation will be released in early 2025. See this schedule here for more information.

EPA designated DEHP as a High-Priority Substance in December 2019 and the chemical is currently undergoing risk evaluation.

Find other information about other chemicals undergoing risk evaluations under TSCA. 

On this page:

• Background on DEHP
• Conditions of Use of DEHP
• Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment
• Supporting Documents

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Background on DEHP

DEHP is a colorless liquid at room temperature, most commonly used as a plasticizer. As reported to EPA during the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) period and described here as a range to protect production volumes that were claimed as confidential business information (CBI), aggregate production volume of DEHP in 2015 was between 100 million and 250 million pounds.

Condition of Use of DEHP

In the final scope, EPA identified conditions of use associated with the importing; processing; distribution in commerce; industrial, commercial and consumer uses; and disposal of DEPH, for example:

• In paint and coating manufacturing, industrial polish;
• Plasticizer in food, beverage, and tobacco product manufacturing; plastic material and resin manufacturing;
• In industrial and commercial aircraft interiors and aerospace products and adhesives; and
• In commercial and consumer products, including paints and coatings, fabric, lawn care, textile, and leather products.

The above listed conditions of use are ways that a person or the environment could be potentially exposed to this chemical. However, when conducting a risk evaluation, EPA also considers the hazards (i.e., health effects or environmental impacts) that could occur from coming in contact with a chemical.

Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment

In December 2024, EPA released the following draft technical support documents for the draft risk evaluation for DEHP: human health non-cancer hazard, environmental hazard, and physical and chemical and environmental fate. The remaining draft documents and draft risk evaluation will be released in early 2025. The formal 60-day public comment period will begin when DEHP’s full draft risk evaluation, including all technical support documents, the risk characterization and the risk determination, is announced in the Federal Register and posted to docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0433. EPA will announce when the remaining draft technical support documents and draft risk evaluation have been posted to the docket. See this schedule here for more information. 

EPA will hold a virtual public meeting of the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) to discuss EPA’s data, methods, models, and approaches for the evaluations of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and DCHP. This includes the cross-phthalate technical support documents for human health benchmark dose analysis, cancer analysis, and cumulative risk analysis. The SACC meeting will take place in the spring of 2025. View the SACC website for more information on these meetings.

In August 2020, EPA published a final scope document outlining the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations the agency expects to consider in its risk evaluation. The agency released the draft scope in April 2020 and took public comments on the draft document.

• Read the final scope of the risk evaluation for this chemical and EPA’s response to comments on the draft scope. 
• View the docket for this chemical, EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0433 on regulations.gov.

As EPA continues to move through the risk evaluation process there will be additional opportunities for public comment, including a public comment period on the draft risk evaluation. In addition to public comment periods, EPA will continue to engage with stakeholders as it refines the risk evaluation and stakeholders should reach out to EPA via the staff contact to engage with the agency.

Supporting Documents

View the supporting documents in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0433. 

• Draft Environmental Hazard Assessment for Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) (pdf) (874.85 KB)
• Draft Non-cancer Human Health Hazard Assessment for Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) (pdf) (3.97 MB)
• Draft Physical Chemistry, Fate, and Transport Assessment for Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) (pdf) (1.04 MB)
• Draft Technical Support Document for the Cumulative Risk Analysis of Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP), Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP), Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP), and Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP) (pdf) (3.43 MB)
• Draft Meta-analysis and Benchmark Dose Modeling of Fetal Testicular Testosterone for Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP), Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP), and Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP) (pdf) (2.06 MB)