Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

Berwick Bayou Vista Water Works Commission

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, is a softener added to PVC plastics. Phthalates are hormone disruptors that target the male reproductive system. Read More.

DEHP can cross the placenta and disrupt steroid hormone synthesis, and may lead to cancer. In laboratory animals, exposure to DEHP during pregnancy harms fetal developmental and causes abnormalities in the male reproductive tract. Human epidemiological studies show certain phthalates, especially DEHP, are associated with reduced anogenital distance in human male infants, which is a measure of adverse developmental effects in human male� infants exposed prenatally to endocrine disrupting chemicals. DEHP may also interfere with signaling related to the timing of birth and may have adverse effects on the immune system.

 

16

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND40ND
2019ND40ND
2020ND20ND
2021ND20ND
2022ND20ND
2023ND20ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 3 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 3 ppb for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate was defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 6 ppb

The legal limit for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, established in 1992, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-05-0335390206001ND
2018-05-0335390206001ND
2018-07-0935403038001ND
2018-07-0935403038001ND
2019-01-1535442693001ND
2019-01-1535442693001ND
2019-07-0935480722001ND
2019-07-0935480722001ND
2020-02-0435528640001ND
2020-10-1535585522001ND
2021-03-2535621779001ND
2021-11-3035680897001ND
2022-03-2435706097001ND
2022-07-2835735505001ND
2023-09-2635830707001ND
2023-10-0935833393001ND