Work

Migration of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Plasticizers enhance the flexibility of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products but may migrate over time, posing potential health risks. This study quantified migration rates of ten phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers from PVC sheet specimens into artificial saliva and sweat, across plasticizer contents ranging from 20 to 50 wt%. Migration experiments at 37 °C, followed by GC-TOF/MS analysis, revealed linear relationships between plasticizer content and both ingestion and dermal migration rates for most compounds. DBP, DiBP, and DiNA exhibited the highest migration (> 0.33 μg/cm 2 /min in saliva; > 3.23 ng/cm 2 /min in sweat), whereas DEHA and DnOP demonstrated minimal release. Key molecular descriptors − including measured content (MC), estimated solubility (ESOL), SpMax2_Bhi, and total connectivity index (Xt) − showed significant correlations with migration behaviors. Multiple linear regression and robust regression models were developed to predict ingestion and dermal migration, achieving R 2 = 0.70 (RMSE = 0.238) and Pseudo R 2 = 0.89, respectively. Internal 5-fold cross-validation confirmed model stability, although external validation revealed limitations related to dataset dependency. Despite these constraints, the proposed models offer a practical and rapid screening approach for estimating plasticizer release and potential human exposure from consumer products. • Migration rates of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers from PVC into artificial saliva and sweat were quantified. • A linear increase of plasticizer migration rate with content was observed for most plasticizers. • DBP, DiBP, and DiNA showed the highest ingestion and dermal migration. • Predictive regression models using molecular descriptors showed moderate accuracy for plasticizer migration. • The findings and models can be applied for primary estimation of plasticizer release from PVC.

Source: The Science of The Total Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180559

Authors: Young-Min Lee, Youyoung Lim, Sohyun Kang, Sunmi Kim

Institutions: Seoul National University, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology

Language: English

Topic: Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,250