Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butylphthalate (DBP) exposure through diet in hospital patients

Ready-to-eat packed meals intended to hospital patients were studied over a two-weeks period to measure the contents of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butylphthalate (DBP) and to evaluate their daily intake by total diet. The packaging consisted of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) dishes sealed with polypropylene (PP) foil. The DEHP mean concentrations in total meals varied from 0.061 ± 0.028 to 0.307 ± 0.138 μg/g wet weight (wet wt.); the DBP mean levels varied from 0.025 ± 0.018 to 0.174 ± 0.091 μg/g wet wt. Highest levels of concentration for DEHP and DBP were found in bread with mean values of 0.307 ± 0.138 μg/g wet wt. and 0.174 ± 0.091 μg/g wet wt. for DEHP and DBP, respectively. The daily intake for DEHP was 3.1 ± 0.9 μg/kg bw and 1.5 ± 0.5 μg/kg bw for DBP. an ± sd incidence of DEHP and DBP intake via hospital meals on the respective EFSA TDI was 6 ± 2% (range 4–11%), and 15 ± 5% (range 8–24%), respectively. Even if for hospital patients the major route of exposure may be represented by medical devices, the influence of the diet could have a significant value on TDI.