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What Information Reported to the Federal TRI and to New Jersey’s Materials Accounting Data Program Reveals About a Plant’s Uses of DEHP

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, is a moderately persistent and bioaccumulative toxin, a reproductive toxin, and a probable human carcinogen. It is used as a softening agent in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds to increase the flexibility of products such as vinyl toys and IV blood bags. Information reported by a vinyl manufacturer in New Jersey to the federal TRI and to the state’s materials accounting data program tells starkly different stories about how DEHP is used at this plant.

TRI data for the company reveals that the facility generated about 2700 pounds of DEHP waste in 1996. Materials accounting data, however, reveals that the company used more than 25 million pounds of DEHP in that year, nearly all which was incorporated into the 75 million pounds of vinyl product manufactured and shipped out by the plant. Materials accounting data also shows that more than one-third of this vinyl consisted of DEHP, which can readily leach from consumer products such as medical equipment, shower curtains, toys, flooring, and packaging. Several recent studies point to a link between asthma and the “off-gassing” of DEHP from vinyl flooring products.

On the plus side, materials accounting data for this company shows that the amount of DEHP “shipped in product” per unit of production fell by approximately 23 percent between 1993 and 1996. This means that any potential impacts of the chemical’s presence in the product were also reduced. However, since production rose by 60 percent during the same period, the total amount of DEHP used and shipped in product actually grew.

Since the TRI does not require facilities to report the overall quantity of toxic chemicals used in manufacturing, the information reported by this company to the federal database includes none of the data needed to determine the amount of DEHP shipped in products manufactured by the plant. In contrast, materials accounting data provides the public with the information it needs to identify and purchase less toxic alternatives.