What Stinks?
Toxic Phthalates in Your Home

A report from:

New Data Reveals Widespread Use of Hormone-Disrupting
Chemicals in Cleaners, Disinfectants, Deodorizers, Clothing,
Shoes, Paints, and Personal Care Products

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Environmental Health Strategy Center • Prevent Harm • Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families • Safer States
Breast Cancer Fund • Ecology Center • Healthy Babies Bright Futures • Women’s Voices for the Earth

 What Stinks? Toxic Phthalates in Your Home

May 2016  

Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

Maine is a national leader in protecting public health from
dangerous chemicals in everyday products. In 2008, the
Pine Tree State passed the first and strongest state-based
chemical policy reform known as the Kid Safe Products
Act. Similar chemical safety laws have since been enacted  
in California, Washington, Vermont, and Oregon, and are
pending in several other states.

In 2014, a grassroots campaign led by concerned Maine moms and
health professionals petitioned the state to add four phthalates to its list
of Priority Chemicals. Maine agreed, and some product manufacturers
were required to report phthalate use by December 2015.

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This report unveils those results, including some first-ever public data
on the use of phthalates.

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Yet, ensuring the public’s right to know what’s in the stuff we buy is just
the first step. Next up, businesses need to switch to safer substitutes to
ensure the safety of our products.

Report Cosponsors:

Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

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Under Maine’s law, manufacturers must disclose their use of highpriority chemicals of concern in consumer products sold in the state.
They can be required to search for safer substitutes. The Kid Safe
Products Act further authorizes the state to phase out chemical uses if
safer alternatives are available, effective, and affordable.

Chemical use reporting required by Maine and Washington shows
states acting as the “laboratories of democracy” described by the
late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. Consumers and federal
agencies now have never-before-available information on dozens of
dangerous chemicals used in thousands of products in our homes,
schools, and daycare centers.

As a public health organization,  
the Environmental Health Strategy
Center works to ensure that all people
are healthy and thriving in a fair and
healthy economy by reducing exposure
to toxic chemicals in our homes and
promoting products that are safe for
people and the planet. In state and
national campaigns, we use research
and education to reform policies, change
the marketplace, and advance sciencebased solutions that are socially just.
Prevent Harm is our advocacy and
political action partner.

Acknowledgements:
This report would not have been possible
without the organizations that are part
of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy
Maine, and the activism of thousands
of Maine people committed to a
government that works and businesses
that care. We greatly appreciate the
support for our Environmental Health
Program provided by John Merck Fund,
Marisla Foundation, Broad Reach
Fund of Maine Community Foundation,
Bingham Program, and Betterment
Fund. We thank Kerri Malinowski and
the Maine Department of Environmental
Protection for their implementation of
the Kid Safe Products Act and for their
cooperation in providing copies of the
chemical use data reports.
Authors:   
Emma Halas O’Connor and Mike Belliveau
Research Assistance:   
Collyn Baeder

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Executive Summary

Industry information newly required by the State of
Maine reveals that hormone-disrupting chemicals
known as phthalates (THAL-eights) are found in
more household products than previously known.
For the first time, the use of toxic phthalates has
been reported in paints, cleaners, disinfectants
and deodorizers. It also has been reported in
clothing, shoes, and personal care products.
Strong science shows that even at very low levels of
exposure, phthalates--a class of more than 40 closely
related chemicals--are linked to reproductive harm,
learning disabilities, and asthma and allergies.

Report Findings

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The data shows phthalates reported as an ingredient
in fragrance for more than half of the products,
including never-before-reported uses of phthalates
as a fragrance in products such as cleaners and
household paints. “Fragrance” can include dozens
of chemicals, and there is no requirement that
companies must disclose these ingredients publicly.
In more than a third of the products, the reported
use of phthalates is as a plastic softener in
clothing, toys, and home maintenance products.
Other data reported point to use in reusable
adhesive tabs for art projects.

A growing number of states, including Maine,  
California, Oregon, Vermont and Washington,  
can require product manufacturers to disclose
the use of chemicals that may harm the health
of babies and children.

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Data disclosed helps state and federal government
agencies tasked with protecting public health,
by providing information on sources of exposure
to phthalates.

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State-required data reporting gives consumers  
more information to make decisions when they shop.
Public reporting of dangerous chemical use also can
inspire industry leaders to abandon toxic chemicals
in favor of safer alternatives, an option that can help
brands earn and maintain a loyal customer base.

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According to data reports submitted to the
Maine Department of Environmental Protection,
14 manufacturers reported the use of the four
phthalates in 130 products. Maine requires
manufacturers to publicly disclose the use of
four types of phthalates: diethylhexyl phthalate
(DEHP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), benzyl butyl
phthalate (BBP), and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).

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State Disclosure Requirements

Conclusions

Because Maine’s reporting requirement, like
other states, exempts many types of common
household products, it is likely the data reported
represents just the tip of the iceberg for uses
of phthalates in household products.
It also is likely that many manufacturers
are illegally failing to disclose their uses
of phthalates to the state of Maine.
In Maine and other states, the scope of reporting
should be widened to provide more public
information on sources of phthalate exposure.
To protect public health from harmful phthalates,
this report points to the need for government
regulators and corporate leaders to take greater
responsibility for chemical safety. Phthalates should
be replaced by safer alternatives already in use.

Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

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Key Findings: Widespread Use of Phthalates in Consumer Products
This report reveals new data—but it shouldn’t.

authority to gather information on priority chemicals
in any consumer product used in homes, schools,
or child care facilities. This broader scope reflects
the best science that shows that any product may
result in exposure to those most vulnerable, including
pregnant women, young children, and teenagers.

Our nation’s chemical safety system is badly
broken. Chemical ingredients in most household
products are kept secret, leaving consumers to
wonder which products are actually safe.  
Increasingly, states have played a key role in
addressing this problem, by requiring product
manufacturers to disclose their uses of harmful
chemicals such as phthalates. Maine, California,
Oregon, Vermont, and Washington all have state
authority to gather never-before-seen information on
chemicals of high concern in consumer products.
Reporting varies by state. In Washington,
manufacturers must report annually on certain
products intended for children under the age of
12 that contain any of 66 high priority chemicals,
including 8 phthalates. Yet Maine has much broader

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5 Key Findings

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A Total of 130 products
containing phthalates were
reported by 14 manufacturers

Product Categories

Household paints & primers

#

47

Cleaners, disinfectants & deodorizers

25

Clothing & footwear

19

Toys, games, dolls, jewelry

11

Hair care products

7

Plastic hardware fasteners 

7

Reusable adhesive tabs

5

Caulking & sealants

5

Greeting cards

2

Auto body filler

1

Surface protection film for flooring

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In total, the products reported represent
just the tip of the iceberg of the widespread
use of phthalates in the marketplace. Much
more proactive action from decision makers
in government and commerce is needed to
eliminate harmful exposure to toxic phthalates,
what many call “the everywhere chemicals.”

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WHAT PRODUCTS ARE PHTHALATES IN?

Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

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This report is made possible because of the breadth
of reporting that Maine requires. The data reported
includes never-before available information showing
phthalates in products like paint and cleaners.

Phthalates are present in a wide variety of
consumer products.
Fourteen manufacturers reported the use of four
phthalates in 130 products sold in the State of Maine,
including information never before disclosed to the public.
Phthalates were reported in household paints and primers
(47 products); cleaners, disinfectants and deodorizers (25);
clothing and footwear (19); toys, games, dolls and jewelry
(11), hair care products (7) and various other products.

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The use of phthalates in consumer products
may be significantly under-reported.
The state of Maine did not require reporting for all product
categories. For some, such as clothing and accessories
and personal care products, manufacturers were exempt
from reporting if their products were not intended for use
by children ages 0–12, even though pregnant women are
particularly vulnerable to adverse health effects from
phthalates. It also is likely that many manufacturers failed to
disclose their use of phthalates. The companies that reported
should be acknowledged for complying with Maine law, while
some of their competitors may be selling their products in
Maine illegally, without disclosing their uses of phthalates.

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HOW ARE PHTHALATES USED IN PRODUCTS?

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The use of phthalates as an ingredient in “fragrance” was reported for more than half the products.
Phthalates in “fragrance” were most widely reported in household paints and primers sold by True Value hardware  
(38 products) and in cleaners, disinfectants and deodorizers manufactured by 3M for home and school use (25 products).

Three companies reported use of phthalates in FRAGRANCE in 70 consumer products.
Brand Names   

GPM/True Value Manufacturing

X-O Rust, Premium Décor, Start Right

38

Household paints and primers

3M

3M, Scotchguard, Scotch-Brite,
Tami-Shield, TroubleShooter

25

Disinfectant, deodorizer, surface cleaners, surface care,
other cleaner

The Procter & Gamble Company

Clairol, Sebastian

7

Hair conditioner, hair styling

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Phthalates were reported to soften vinyl plastic
in more than one third of the products.
Phthalates are primarily used by manufacturers
worldwide as plasticizers, to soften rigid PVC plastic
to make it flexible. The Gap reported the use of
the phthalate DEP in the plastic tips of clothing
drawstrings and shoe laces, which could lead to
exposure from handling the tips or chewing on them.
Other reported uses of phthalates to soften plastics
included jewelry, dolls, and toys for children as well
as specialty paints and sealants and other home
maintenance products.

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Brand Names

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Product

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Phthalates are also added to products
for other reasons.

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Nine companies use phthalates
to SOFTEN PLASTIC in 46 products.
Manufacturer 

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Manufacturer   

#

Product

17

In shoelace & drawstring
aglets (plastic tubes) on
footwear and clothing

7

Necklaces, games, dolls

7

Plastic hardware
fasteners, door keys

4

Decorative (faux) painting
equipment

3

Special purpose paints for
wall and floor coatings

Gap, Inc.

Gap, Old Navy

Hallmark Cards

Hallmark

Hillman Group

Hillman

The SherwinWilliams Co.

Glitter Spray

Tnemec
Company, Inc.

Enduratone,
Ultra-Tread S

Homax Products,
Inc.

Homax Caulk
3
Strips, Wet Look
Cure Seal

Caulking, sealants

3M

3M Scotchguard, 2
3M Bondo
Plastic Metal

Surface protection film
for flooring, filler for auto
repair

PPG Architectural
Coatings, Inc.

Top Gun 200

2

Sealants

PCP Group, LLC

Pellon Vinyl
Fuse

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Arts & crafts variety
packs

Phthalates are also added as a solvent in adhesive
tabs used to mount photos, artwork, and paper to
walls as well as for the screen printing and heat
sealing of graphic images onto children’s clothing,
among other miscellaneous uses.

Five companies reported use of phthalates
for OTHER PURPOSES

Manufacturer

Brand Names

#

Product

3M

Scotch
Restickable

5

Reusable
adhesive tabs

The Home
Depot

Halloween
LED Spooky
Spinners,
Rudolph Light
Up Nose,
Pumpkin Push
Ins - Yoda

3

Fancy
toy dress
accessories &
costumes, arts
& craft variety
pack

American
Greetings

Papyrus

2

Greeting cards
/ Invitations

Garan Inc.

Garanimals

2

Clothing

GPM/
True Value
Manufacturing

Premium Décor

2

Special
purpose paints
for wall and
floor coatings

Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

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“DRAFT PAIGE HOLMES QUOTE It’s not O.K. to find out there are high
levels of toxic chemicals in your body. It’s scary. I want manufacturers to
stop using phthalates now. Safer substitutes are out there.”

Hormone disrupting chemicals pose serious risks to the
health of babies and young children.
A silent epidemic may be unfolding due to the widespread use of hormonedisrupting chemicals such as phthalates in consumer products. Strong
scientific evidence confirmed by human health studies, animal toxicity tests,
and laboratory research shows that exposure to phthalates increases the risk of
adverse health effects especially during developmental windows of vulnerability
such as pregnancy, infancy, or adolescence.1

•  Reproductive harm: Exposure to phthalates is linked to genital  
birth defects in baby boys, which is associated with decreased fertility in
young men, and increased risk of prostate and testicular cancer. 

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•  Harm to the immune system: Phthalate exposure also impairs immune
function, associated with an increase in asthma and allergies.

Used in clothing,
shoes, toys,
jewelry, and more

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Used in plastics, paint,
flooring, window shades,
wall decals, and more

in Home Products

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•  Harm to the developing brain: Exposure to phthalates is linked to  
lowered IQ, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. 

Toxic Phthalates

Paige Holmes, a mother of two
in Bangor, Maine, participated
in a study in 2015 that showed
high levels of toxic phthalates
in her body.

Used in fragrance,
hair care products,
lotions, cosmetics,
and more

Found in fatty foods from
packaging and industrial food
processing, and in cleaners,
disinfectants, deodorizers,
and more

Authoritative Sources:

[1] Dr. Deborah C. Rice, Ph.D., Phthalates: Maine Chemicals of High Concern Review of the Science on Toxicity and Exposure, March, 2014.  
  http://www.ourhealthyfuture.org/library/phthalates-review-science-toxicity-and-exposure
[2] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals,  
  Updated Tables, February 2015. See Phthalate and Phthalate Alternative Metabolites, pp. 354-434. http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport
[3] Report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel on Phthalates and Phthalates Alternatives, July 2014, page 4.
  Online: http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/169902/CHAP-REPORT-With-Appendices.pdf
[4] Sarah Lott, Healthy Building Network, Phthalate-free Plasticizers in PVC, September 2014. See https://www.healthybuilding.net/content/phthalate-report.
[5] N’Dri LA, White-Newsome JL, Corbin-Mark CD, and Shepard PM (2015) The Invisible Threat: Bisphenol-A and Phthalates in Environmental Justice  
  Communities.  Environmental Justice  8(1): 15-19.
Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

 Consumer Tips: Consumers can reduce phthalates exposure in the home
by avoiding products with “fragrance” or made from soft vinyl plastic, and
by minimizing consumption of fatty foods that tend to pick up phthalate
contamination from food packaging and industrial food processing.

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Those who are most vulnerable to harm from phthalates are disproportionately exposed.
More than 90% of all Americans are exposed to phthalates everyday. Biomonitoring by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has documented that children have the highest concentrations of phthalates in
their bodies, and that women of childbearing age are exposed to phthalates at higher levels than men.2   A panel
of scientists advising the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that millions of American infants
and women of childbearing age are exposed to phthalates every day, at levels that can cause reproductive
harm.3 Several studies have reported that communities of color and people of lower socio-economic status
face disproportionate exposures to one or more phthalates, raising additional environmental justice concerns.5

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How am I exposed to phthalates in my home?

Contamination of the food supply results in one of the greatest sources of exposure to phthalates.  
The chemicals enter fatty foods, especially dairy products, margarine and vegetable oils, from industrial food
processing and food packaging.  Soft plastic products containing phthalates continually shed the chemicals
into the home environment, where they build up in house dust.  Toddlers especially, with their frequent handto-mouth activity, ingest phthalates in the dust on their hands.  Additional exposure results from breathing
in or absorbing phthalates through the skin from the use of personal care products, cleaners, and soft vinyl
products.  Virtually everyone is exposed to phthalates, every day.

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Safer alternatives for phthalates are available.

Many companies have already shown leadership in phasing phthalates out of their products. In the case of
fragrance in cleaning supplies, both Clorox and Procter & Gamble have pledged to be phthalate-free. To soften
plastic products, several safer alternatives are already on the market.4  Major home improvement retailers
including The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, and Lumber Liquidators have recently ended their use of
phthalates in vinyl flooring, due to growing safety concerns.

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In response to this growing body of scientific evidence, government restrictions on phthalates continue to
steadily mount around the world.
For example, six phthalates have been banned in toys and childcare articles in the United States since 2008,
and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has proposed a rule to add five additional phthalates to
that list. The European Union has phased out all uses of four phthalates, with an additional nine slated for
similar restrictions. Several U.S. states restrict or require reporting on phthalate use, including California,
Washington, and Maine.

Environmental Health Strategy Center and Prevent Harm

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 Conclusions
•  Our chemical safety system is badly broken. Phthalates remain widely used in consumer
products, despite widespread human exposure, serious risks to the health of pregnant
women and children, and increasing government scrutiny around the world. 
•  State chemical disclosure requirements remain a critically important tool for informing
government leaders and consumers about the use of dangerous chemicals in everyday
products that may be a source of human exposure and harm to health. 

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•  Products that list “fragrance” as an ingredient often contain phthalates along with
potentially hundreds of other undisclosed chemicals that could be hazardous to our
health. 
 
•  This toxic fragrance isn’t just in our perfume or personal care products we use day
to day. We’re often unknowingly exposed to it through cleaning products, disinfectants,
deodorizers, and household paint in our homes, classrooms, and public spaces.

Recommendations

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•  STATE GOVERNMENT: State policymakers should expand disclosure requirements to
include chemicals of high concern in all consumer products, because of the proven benefit
and low cost of such policies. Maine needs to enforce full compliance with its reporting
requirement, and expand the product list subject to reporting to include other sources of
exposure. Other states should adopt disclosure policies that gather new data on sources
of exposure to phthalates and other chemicals of high concern in consumer products and
building materials. 

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•  FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission should adopt
pending rules to expand the ban on phthalates in toys and childcare articles. The U.S. Food
and Drug Administration should approve the pending food additives petition to revoke its
permission to use phthalates in food packaging and industrial food processing. Congress
should enact meaningful reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to give the
Environmental Protection Agency the authority to require testing and restrict
the use of chemicals like phthalates while preserving state authority to
take more protective actions. 

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•  BUSINESS: Product manufacturers should phase out the use of all  
ortho-phthalates in favor of safer alternatives that already  
available and affordable. Retailers should ask their suppliers to
disclose all uses of phthalates in the products they sell and take
action to eliminate phthalates from their supply chains. 
•  CONSUMERS: Consumers should demand that product manufacturers
and retailers sell only phthalate-free products. Take action now to ask 3M
to phase out phthalates in its products, just like Procter & Gamble.
ourhealthyfuture.org  I (207) 699-5795 info  I (207) 699-5797 donate  I info@ourhealthyfuture.org