Plasticizers, health effects and replacing them interchangeably at industrial applications

Plasticizers are used for paints, inks, adhesive, toys, medical devise, leathers, tablet coating, capsule shell and etc. Many international and American standards (ISO and ASTM) exist on various aspects of plasticizers (measurement, health and etc.). In Europe, the safe use of plasticizers is enabled by Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), the most comprehensive product safety regulation in the world. The first indication that phthalates could cause an increased incidence of liver tumor in rats and mice was in 1980 after the NTP/NCI Bioassay Program in the U.S. But industries continue to be exposed to phthalates in cosmetics and personal care products such as nail polish, lotion, shampoo, soap, and hair spray. In this research dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) is introduced instead of dioctyl phatalate (DOP) with less toxicity in a series of leather products in some company. DOTP is a general purpose plasticizer that is considered safer than ortho-phthalate plasticizers due to its excellent toxicological profile. The terephthalates exhibit none of the peroxisome proliferation of liver enzymes that some ortho-phthalates have shown in several studies. It has uses in applications like extrusion, calendaring, injection molding, rotational molding, dip molding, slush molding and coating. We hope to have a major contribution in the field of health and the environment to replace these materials by less toxic substances.