In the years since the 1999 Koop report on DEHP and DINP -- and the NTP-CERHR evaluations of seven phthalate esters conducted from 1998-2000 -- there have been a large number of new studies on possible toxic effects of phthalates. Many of these have been incorporated into the deliberations of expert panels, including those representing a variety of European Commission scientific agencies. The latest of these, focused on DEHP, appeared in early 2008. Although there have been some minor changes and refinements in the evaluations over time, none of the additional research and deliberations have significantly altered the earlier assessments of lack of phthalate risks.
The summaries presented in the risk characterization section thus reflect the accumulated judgments of a large...