Forbidden Plasticizer Unexpectedly Found in Bodies – Environmental Agencies Alarmed

A recent investigation by the Federal Environment Agency has caused a stir: during the sixth German Environmental Health Study, it was found that more than a quarter of urine samples from the German population contained traces of a plasticizer that has been regulated for a long time and is largely prohibited. The experts are concerned about the detection of the metabolite MnHexP, a breakdown product of the plasticizer di-n-hexyl phthalate (DnHexP), which could be harmful to reproduction and increase the risk for serious diseases. This finding was observed for the first time in 2023, prompting Marika Kolossa, a toxicologist at the Federal Environment Agency, to state that such a substance should actually not be present in the human body. According to findings from animal studies, this substance could be particularly harmful to the reproductive organs of male fetuses in the womb, but could also pose potential health hazards such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity for adults. In some individuals, concentrations were found that do not rule out a health risk. Lars Tietjen, a chemicals expert at the Federal Environment Agency, commented that DnHexP could also occur in EU import products or older EU products under special conditions. However, there is no information on larger amounts being processed, and thus nothing can be ruled out. An analysis of earlier urine samples from kindergarten children in North Rhine-Westphalia by the State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (Lanuv) showed an alarming increase in samples contaminated with the metabolite MnHeP, from 26 percent in 2017/18 to 61 percent in 2020/21. In children with a high level of exposure, the concentration even increased tenfold. What is astonishing is that the rise is not attributable to specific residential areas, but occurs statewide. DnHexP has been listed since 2013 on the EU list of substances of very high concern and therefore may no longer be used in cosmetics, materials that come into contact with food, or toys. However, the sudden discovery of this substance in the population puzzles the authorities and is being referred to as a "detective story," where the search for the source of the phthalate is now being pursued intensively – both at the national and EU level.