Cao Xu-Liang
Author Cao is with Food Research Div., Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Canada, 251 Frederick Banting Driveway, AL: 2203D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0K9. Direct inquiries to author Cao (E-mail:
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2010 Jan;9(1):21-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2009.00093.x.
Phthalates are a group of diesters of ortho-phthalic acid (dialkyl or alkyl aryl esters of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid). Higher-molecular-weight phthalates, such as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), are primarily used as plasticizers to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, while the lower-molecular-weight phthalates, such as diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), are widely used as solvents to hold color and scent in various consumer and personal care products. Phthalates have become ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to volatilization and leaching from their widespread applications, and thus contamination of the environment has become another important source for phthalates in foods in addition to migration from packaging materials. Human exposure to phthalates has been an increased concern due to the findings from toxicology studies in animals. DEHP, one of the important and widely used phthalates, is a rodent liver carcinogen. DEHP, DBP, BBzP, and several phthalate metabolites, such as monobutyl phthalate, monobenzyl phthalate, and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, are teratogenic in animals. Since foods are the major source of exposure to phthalates, information on levels of phthalates in foods is important for human exposure assessment. The objective of this review is to identify the knowledge gaps for future investigations by reviewing levels of a wide range of phthalates in a variety of foods, such as bottled water, soft drinks, infant formula, human milk, total diet foods, and others, migration of phthalates from various food-packaging materials, and traditional and new methodologies for the determination of phthalates in foods.
邻苯二甲酸酯是邻苯二甲酸的一组二酯（1,2 - 苯二甲酸的二烷基酯或烷基芳基酯）。较高分子量的邻苯二甲酸酯，如邻苯二甲酸二（2 - 乙基己基）酯（DEHP），主要用作增塑剂以软化聚氯乙烯（PVC）产品，而较低分子量的邻苯二甲酸酯，如邻苯二甲酸二乙酯（DEP）、邻苯二甲酸二正丁酯（DBP）和邻苯二甲酸丁苄酯（BBzP），则广泛用作溶剂，用于在各种消费品和个人护理产品中保持颜色和香味。由于邻苯二甲酸酯在广泛应用中会挥发和渗出，它们已成为普遍存在的环境污染物，因此除了来自包装材料的迁移外，环境污染已成为食品中邻苯二甲酸酯的另一个重要来源。由于动物毒理学研究的结果，人类接触邻苯二甲酸酯越来越受到关注。DEHP是重要且广泛使用的邻苯二甲酸酯之一，是啮齿动物肝脏致癌物。DEHP、DBP、BBzP以及几种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物，如邻苯二甲酸单丁酯、邻苯二甲酸单苄酯和邻苯二甲酸单（2 - 乙基己基）酯，在动物中具有致畸性。由于食品是接触邻苯二甲酸酯的主要来源，食品中邻苯二甲酸酯水平的信息对于人类接触评估很重要。本综述的目的是通过回顾各种食品（如瓶装水、软饮料、婴儿配方奶粉、母乳、总膳食食品等）中多种邻苯二甲酸酯的水平、邻苯二甲酸酯从各种食品包装材料中的迁移情况以及食品中邻苯二甲酸酯测定的传统和新方法，来确定未来研究的知识空白。
