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Orthophthalates

The plasticizer family that makes vinyl flexible — and disrupts hormones.

Building products and consumer items that commonly contain Orthophthalates
Common building materials and consumer products containing Orthophthalates

Toxic Chemical Databases

Where this family lands across the seven independent toxicology authorities we screen against.

LBC Red List
Listed
Prop 65
Listed
IARC
Watch
NTP RoC
Listed
GSPI
Listed
REACH SVHC
Listed
TSCA
Listed

Chemical Type

Endocrine-Active Plasticizer Class

Chemical Description

Orthophthalates are esters of phthalic acid, blended into PVC and other polymers at 20–40% by weight to make rigid plastic soft and flexible. DEHP, DINP, DIDP, BBP, DBP, DiBP — these are the molecules that turn hard PVC into supple vinyl flooring, shower curtains, garden hose, wall coverings, and flexible electrical cable jackets. They aren't chemically bonded to the polymer, so they leach, off-gas, and migrate into dust over the entire service life of the product. The toxicological signal across the orthophthalate family is consistent: anti-androgen effects on the developing male reproductive tract, altered hormone signaling, reduced semen quality, and metabolic endpoints. The U.S. CPSC has banned several phthalates from children's products, and Europe restricts them broadly under REACH. EBH avoids flexible PVC in all interior applications and specifies phthalate-free vinyl alternatives (linoleum, rubber, polyolefin) where flexibility is required.

Chemical Structure

Molecular schematic for Orthophthalates — formula and structural features shown below.

DEHP — C₆H₄(COOC₈H₁₇)₂ · C₂₄H₃₈O₄ · the most common phthalate plasticizer

Biological Activity

Severity scores summarize hazard endpoints from IARC, NTP, EPA IRIS, ATSDR, and NIOSH on a 0–10 scale. Mirrors the system-level output of our SDS Toxic Chemical Screener.

Endocrine
10/10
Reproductive
10/10
Developmental
9/10
Liver/Kidney
7/10
Cancer
5/10
Neurological
5/10
Cardiovascular
5/10
Immune
4/10
Respiratory
4/10
Skin
3/10

Chemical Analogs and Brand Names

Top Health Consequences

Pathways of Exposure

Substances in this Family

Each substance below has its own profile page with its own database flags, biological-activity scores, and exposure pathways — they are NOT interchangeable.

Building Materials with Orthophthalates

Listed alphabetically. These are the product categories where this chemistry most often shows up — not an exhaustive list.

Want to screen a specific product? Drop the manufacturer's SDS into our SDS Toxic Chemical Screener — it runs every CAS number on the sheet against all seven databases shown above.

Orthophthalates and the Houses We Build Without Them

The Orthophthalates family is specified out of every Earth Bound Homes project. We publish this library because homeowners cannot avoid what nobody will name — and because the healthy homes we build depend on that list being honest.

Every house we build is designed as a healthy, mold free, all electric Passive House — the chemical screening is one layer of that, not the whole of it. Earth Bound Homes builds in Palo Alto, Atherton, Menlo Park and across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Talk to us about your projectSee the homes we have built

Substances in this family

What we use instead