phthalates-Copper




 * Abstract and Summary:**

Our chemical is phthalates. Phthalates are mainly used as plasticizers to make plastic more flexible. They are mainly used to soften polyvinyl chloride, which is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer. They are being taken out of many products because of health hazards around the world. Some specific products that it is used in are floor and wall covering, furnishing, toys, car interior, clothing, hoses, and many other products. The implications of phthalates have risen over the years because now companies around the world are taking them out of their products. You can find this chemical all over the world in places such as the United States, the European Union. Toys that contain phthalates have been banned in Mexico and Japan, and a bill to ban phthalates in other countries is being thought about due to the fact that phthalates can harm human beings. This chemical does not really have any positive effects other then softening plastic. Phthalates is actually being removed from many products this time in age because of health hazards such as endocrine disruptors and they have been known to harm rats when injected into them (specifically the liver, kidneys, lungs, and developing testes.) To remove phthalates from products is some way helping the economy because the chemical that they are replacing, DINCH, is cheaper. In the environment, phthalates take a long time to break down. Replacing them with DINCH is going to help because DINCH is an easier substance to dissolve. I think that the steps they are currently following to band phthalates should be continued because phthalates are apparently toxic to the human body. Studies show that phthalates can lower the hormone count and affect growth of the male and female reproductive systems. The costs of phthalates as I had stated before would decrease because scientists around the world are working on taking phthalates out of all products harmful to humans. DINCH is a cheaper chemical and will do more for the environment and humans. The process that is being taken all around the world should be continued because the replacement of phthalates will be an effective one.


 * Background:**

Phthalates are mainly used as plasticizers to make plastic more flexible. They are mainly used to soften polyvinyl chloride, which is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer. They are being taken out of many products because of health hazards around the world. Some specific products that it is used in are floor and wall covering, furnishing, toys, car interior, clothing, hoses, and many other products.

This chemical does not really have any positive effects other then softening plastic. Phthalates is actually being removed from many products this time in age because of health hazards such as endocrine disruptors and they have been known to harm rats when injected into them (specifically the liver, kidneys, lungs, and developing testes.)

You can find this chemical all over the world in places such as the United States, the European Union. Toys that contain phthalates have been banned in Mexico and Japan, and a bill to ban phthalates in other countries is being thought about due to the fact that phthalates can harm human beings.


 * Human Health:**

The chemical "phthalate" has been linked to harming rat organs when injected into them during tests to see if they would be harmful to the human body. Studies show that rat liver, kidney, developing testes, and the lungs were all affected. Possible dangers of humans being affected by phthalates are endocrine disrupters, and can cause malformations of the male and female reproductive systems. Hormone balances have also dropped in rats when tested for phthalate poisoning. To enter the body, you could take it in quite a few ways. Children's toys have phthalates in them, which is why they have been banned in Mexico and Japan, there are phthalates in clothing, car interior, and even furniture.


 * Environmental Implications:**

Phthalates take a long time to degrade in the environment. This could mean that they may be found at love levels in some foods. Phthalates can easily be disposed by simply throwing them away since they are in everyday products.


 * Synthesis and Production:**

Phthalates are made of family compounds with alcohols and Phthalic anhydride. Phthalic anhydride is the synthesis for Phthalates. Its organic compound has the formula; C6H4(CO)2O. Their characteristics include: oily, colorless, and odorless liquids that do not evaporate voluntarily. Another chemical equation for a different type of phthalate is dioctyl phthalate. The equation is : C6H4(COOCH3)2. The final equation for phthalate is another type, which is called Butylbenzyl phthalate and the equation is :CH3(CH2)3OOCC6H4COOCH2C6H5 Since there are different types of phthalates, I picked “Dioctyl phthalate.” This procedure to synthesize the compound was used with acid functionalized ionic liquid. It is stated in the article that after the synthesis process they found it that functionalized Brønsted acidic ionic liquids enhance catalytic and reusable performance than non-functionalized ionic liquids. This means it is a environmental friendly approach to separate the dioctyl phthalate.


 * Economic and Political Impact:**

Phthalates have already began to be banned for the safety of children. Phthalates is a chemical that can leak out of the plastics used in making toys, and they often act as a hormone. These toxic chemicals have been shown to mess with humans reproductive systems, preferably males. There is no telling what the chemical DINCH which is being used to substitute the phthalates are because we know so little about them, but one can only hope they're safer then what has been used in the past. There are no products that we would not have because there is an alternative to phthalates, DINCH. The chemical DINCH has little known facts but it is a cheaper and non phthalate plasticizers. Mexico and Japan has already banned phthalates, and the costs they had all mentioned that the cost was cheaper then using phthalates. I'm not sure of how much the difference in money was, but I do know that it's cheaper and more effective. Phthalates come from factories world-wide, where ever products just like toys, clothes, and medical gloves are made. DINCH can come from many places, one place that it is very popular is Ludwigshafen, a city in Germany. A ban on phthalates would not really affect an average human because as I said, the ban has already been put forth. There is an effective replacement that is making plasticizers healthier and better for human life. The United States is in the process of banning all phthalates this time in day.

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