When exposure to some of these chemicals exceeds safety levels, workers are afflicted with endocrine dysfunction and reproductive health issues.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to regulate how phthalate chemicals are used in work settings, a decision made after the agency completed its risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a Dec. 31 post on X.
🚨Massive MAHA win today on phthalate chemicals!
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) December 31, 2025
The Trump EPA just completed our TSCA risk evaluation of phthalates; the most comprehensive assessment of phthalates ever conducted by EPA. We are now announcing that, following gold standard science, promoting radical…
Phthalates, used mainly as plasticizers in PVC products, are utilized in many industrial and consumer products.
According to a Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) commission report, research has shown that certain phthalates can “trigger hormone dysregulation and reproductive and developmental problems for babies in-utero and infants.”
In his post, Zeldin said the EPA conducted “the most comprehensive” assessment of phthalates. “We are now announcing that, following gold standard science, promoting radical transparency of the research and data, and to Make America Healthy Again, we will regulate dozens of phthalate chemical uses after finding unreasonable risks to workers and the environment.”
The decision was made after evaluating available information on phthalates using the “most rigorous” scientific methods, including cutting-edge cumulative exposure analysis and independent expert peer reviews, Zeldin said.
In a Dec. 31 statement, the EPA announced its intent to regulate dozens of uses of five phthalate chemicals—butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP).
EPA said it was “seriously concerned” about health abnormalities that phthalates can potentially cause, including endocrine disruption and hormone deficiencies.
However, these health impacts “do not occur at all exposure levels,” it said. “The key factor in determining risk is whether people are exposed to amounts above levels that could cause health problems.”
For BBP, which is used in adhesives, floor coverings, and rubber products, the EPA identified that two types of uses of the chemical pose risks to workers while seven use cases pose environmental risks. For DEHP, used in paints, industrial polishes, and textiles, 10 types of uses were found to pose unreasonable risk to employees, and 20 uses were deemed to present risks to the environment. Similar assessments were made for DBP, DCHP, and DIBP.
The EPA said it will now develop rules to eliminate the identified risks.
“The agency will conduct extensive consultation with workers, businesses, labor groups, and communities to develop targeted, practical protections that ensure worker safety and environmental protection,” it said.
“Personal protective equipment, engineering controls, and alternative approaches will be carefully evaluated to create effective, implementable solutions that protect those most at risk.”
