The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluation drafts and associated technical support documents for dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were made available for public comment and peer review by the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 4, 2025.

DBP Risk Evaluation Findings

Based on 20 Conditions of Use (COUs), four COUs, and one COU, the EPA has tentatively concluded that DBP may provide risks to consumer health, worker health, and the environment. There were no environmental or human health hazards identified for the other 19 COUs of DBP. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use was not considered in these initial risk estimates for the COUs where worker health hazards were recognized. Nonetheless, according to the draft risk assessment, using PPE may lessen exposure and limit risks. According to the EPA, cumulative exposure to any of DBP’s COUs did not pose any unacceptable risks to human health or to the general public’s health.

DEHP Risk Evaluation Findings

According to the EPA’s initial assessment, DEHP presents unjustified risks to the environment based on 20 COUs and to worker health based on 13 COUs. There were no environmental or human health hazards found for the remaining DEHP COUs. Similar to this, PPE use was not taken into account in the initial risk determinations for the COUs where worker health issues were discovered, despite the fact that PPE use may lower exposure and lessen hazards. The EPA concluded that cumulative exposure to any of DEHP’s COUs did not pose an unreasonable danger to human health or to the general public’s health.

Relevant Phthalates

Five phthalates are presently being evaluated for TSCA risk, including DBP and DEHP. Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP), Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP), and Dicyclohexyl Phthalate (DCHP) are the other three. Among other documents, the EPA published the draft cumulative risk analysis for all five phthalates and the proposed risk evaluation for DCHP in January 2025. In July 2025, the public will be able to view the draft risk assessments for BBP and DIBP.

Public Comment and Peer Review

The DBP and DEHP risk evaluation drafts are available for public comment on the EPA’s TSCA public docket. The deadline for the 60-day comment period is August 4, 2025. Additionally, from August 4–8, 2025, the EPA will have a virtual public SACC meeting to peer review all documents pertaining to the five phthalates’ risk assessments.

Next Steps

Based on the identified COUs, the EPA will publish the final risk evaluations to assess whether DBP, DEHP, BBP, DIBP, and DCHP present unjustified hazards to human health or the environment after considering public comments and the independent expert peer review.

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