Phthalates in preschool children’s clothing manufactured in seven Asian countries: Occurrence, profiles and potential health risks

Abstract

Phthalates could be introduced into clothing as chemical additives or impurities, becoming a potential source of human exposure. We measured the concentrations of 15 phthalates in new preschool children’s clothing manufactured in seven Asian countries. Phthalates were prevalent in all samples, and total concentrations were 2.92–223 μg/g, indicating a moderate contamination level. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, di(isobutyl) phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate were the most abundant phthalates measured, representing a median of 48.5 %, 13.6 % and 13.4 % of the total concentrations, respectively. Total concentrations did not differ significantly by country of manufacture, while the concentrations of individual phthalates and their composition profiles varied widely. We also found differing phthalate levels by item type, fabric composition, and color. Under the assumed two exposure scenarios, the median of summed dermal exposure doses of six phthalate were 539 and 950 ng/kg of body weight per day, respectively. When children wore trousers, long-sleeved shirts, briefs and socks at the same time, the reproductive risks exceeded acceptable level, although the carcinogenic risk of DEHP was low. Our results suggested that new clothing is an important route of phthalate exposure to preschool children. More research is required to investigate the contaminations and associated with risks in child clothing.