IRIS

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)

CASRN 85-68-7 | DTXSID3020205

IRIS Toxicological Review of Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP) (Preliminary Assessment Materials, 2014)

On this page:

Notice - This site contains archived material(s)

Archive disclaimer
Archived files are provided for reference purposes only. The file was current when produced, but is no longer maintained and may now be outdated. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing archived files may contact the Risk Webmaster for assistance. Please use the contact us form if you need additional support.


Overview

In September 2014, EPA released the draft literature searches and associated search strategies, evidence tables, and exposure response arrays for BBP to obtain input from stakeholders and the public prior to developing the draft IRIS assessment. Specifically, EPA was interested in comments on the following:
  • Draft literature search strategies
  • The approach for identifying studies
  • The screening process for selecting pertinent studies
  • The resulting list of pertinent studies
  • Preliminary evidence tables
  • The process for selecting studies to include in evidence tables
  • The quality of the studies in the evidence tables
The literature search strategy, which describes the processes for identifying scientific literature, contains the studies that EPA considered and selected to include in the evidence tables. The preliminary evidence tables and exposure-response arrays present the key study data in a standardized format. The evidence tables summarize the available critical scientific literature. The exposure-response figures provide a graphical representation of the responses at different levels of exposure for each study in the evidence table.

Citation

U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP) (Preliminary Assessment Materials, 2014). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-11/008, 2014.

Top of Page


Background

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), also referred to as 1,2 benzenedicarboxylic acid, butyl phenylmethyl ester, and benzyl n-butylphthalate, is a clear, oily liquid at room temperature. BBP is formed from the reaction of the monobutyl ester of phthalic acid with benzyl chloride and butanol.

The main uses of BBP are as a plasticizer for vinyl flooring, vinyl foams, and carpet backing. Other products which are plasticized with BBP are cellulose plastics, polyvinyl acetate, polysulfides, and polyurethane. More specifically, BBP is used as a plasticizer in polyvinyl chloride used to make food conveyer belts, carpet tiles, artifical leather, tarps, automotive trim, weather stripping, traffic cones, and to a limited amount in production of vinyl gloves. BBP is also used in some adhesives.

BBP is released to the environment during its production and when used as a plasticizing agent. In addition, use and disposal of products plasticized with BBP may lead to exposures.

The reassessment will present reference values for the noncancer effects of BBP (RfD and RfC), where supported by available data, and a cancer assessment. The assessment will be subject to internal and external peer review along with Agency review. The final product will reflect the Agency opinion on the toxicity of BBP.

History/Chronology

Date Description
01- Dec 2008 The National Academies of Sciences (NAS) released the final report, Phthalates and Cumulative Risk Assessment: The Task Ahead.
02- Sep 2014 EPA released the draft literature searches and associated search strategies, evidence tables, and exposure response arrays for BBP to obtain input from stakeholders and the public prior to developing the draft IRIS assessment.
03- Feb 2015 EPA hosted an IRIS public science meeting on February 25-26, 2015, to provide an opportunity for the public to give input and participate in an open discussion regarding preliminary materials that were prepared for the IRIS chemical, butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), prior to the development of the draft assessment.

Top of Page

Download(s)

This download(s) is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy.

If you have a disability and the format of any material on our web pages interferes with your ability to access the information, please reach out to us using the Contact Us about IRIS form for assistance. To enable us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please indicate the nature of the accessibility problem, the web address of the requested material, your preferred format in which you want to receive the material (electronic format (ASCII, etc.), standard print, large print, etc.), and your contact information.


Top of Page