EPA Draft Risk Evaluations for Phthalates, Public Comments are Invited

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released draft risk evaluations for two widely used chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) :

• Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP, CASRN 85-68-7)
• Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP, CASRN 84-69-5)

These evaluations form part of EPA’s ongoing efforts to protect human health, consumer safety, and the environment by ensuring potentially harmful chemicals are properly assessed and regulated. Stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the process by reviewing the draft evaluations and submitting comments before the deadline.

Key Findings

EPA’s draft evaluations, prepared using the best available science, preliminarily conclude that both BBP and DIBP pose unreasonable risks to health and the environment under certain conditions of use.

• Risks extend to potentially exposed or susceptible groups, such as workers or children.
• Economic or other non-risk factors were not considered in accordance with TSCA.

Publication and Comment Details

The notice was published in the Federal Register on 6 August 2025 (90 FR 37855, Doc. No. 2025-14882).

Dockets:

• EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0501 (BBP)
• EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0434 (DIBP)

Comment Deadline: 6 October 2025, 4:00 PM EST

Submit via: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point Email: usatbtep@nist.gov

Next Steps

EPA will review all comments received and finalize the risk evaluations. If the final assessments confirm unreasonable risk, the Agency will proceed to risk management actions under TSCA §6(a) to reduce or eliminate those risks.