Phthalate Esters Screening in Toys and Childcare Articles Using Py-Screener Ver 2

User Benefits

- Simple and time-saving program for screening of phthalate esters in toys and childcare articles - Easy determination of pass, fail and inconclusive results by colored flagging system in LabSolutions Insight^TM

Introduction

Phthalate esters are a group of compounds formed from esterification of phthalic acid and alcohol. They are commonly used as plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials to increase flexibility. However, some phthalate esters may cause endocrine disruption and reproductive problems. This has led to concerns over the use of phthalate esters in toys and childcare articles as the health of infants and children who are at higher risk of exposure due to their biting and mouthing activities. The European Union (EU) regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) imposes restrictions on the use of four phthalate esters namely bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) in toys and childcare articles. According to Commission Regulation (EU) No 2018/2005, toys or childcare articles that contain more than or equal to 0.1 % w/w (equivalent to 1000 mg/kg) of DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP, individually or in any combination, are not allowed to be placed on the market after 7 July 2020. Screening and semi-quantitation of phthalate esters in polymer samples can be accelerated using Py-Screener, an analyzer developed by Shimadzu for phthalate esters and brominated flame retardants using pyrolyzer coupled with a GCMS system. In this application news, a fast simultaneous Scan/SIM method from Py-Screener Ver. 2 is used for screening of seven phthalate esters (DIBP, BBP, DNOP, DIDP, DBP, DEHP and DINP) in toys and childcare articles.

March 29, 2022 GMT