Environmental Consulting Firm Provides Information and Testing Services to Identify Phthalates

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Dec. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- In recent years, there has been growing concern over human exposure to a group of widely used chemicals known as phthalates.  Phthalates are used in numerous products and materials to soften and increase the flexibility of plastics and vinyl.

People can be exposed to low levels of phthalates through air, water or food.  Exposure to low levels of the chemicals may come from eating food packaged in plastic that contains phthalates or breathing dust in rooms with materials that contain phthalates.  Children can be exposed by chewing on soft vinyl toys or other products made with the chemicals.  Young children may have a greater risk of being exposed to phthalate particles in dust compared to adults due to their hand-to-mouth behaviors.  People at the highest risk of exposure to phthalates are dialysis patients, hemophiliacs or people who received blood transfusions from sources that use tubing or containers made with the chemicals.

Many phthalates are suspected to be endocrine disruptors.  In California, the following phthalates are listed under Proposition 65 because they are known to cause reproductive harm:

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)
Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)
Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)
Di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP)
Di-n-hexyl phthalate (DnHP)

The environmental and indoor air quality experts at Clark Seif Clark offer testing services to identify the presence of phthalates in homes and businesses. “Phthalates are used in hundreds of products,” reports Franco Seif, President of Clark Seif Clark.  “They can be found in everything from personal care products to building materials and vinyl flooring.  The only way to know if people are being exposed to these chemicals in an indoor environment or during work processes is to have the area tested.  To help raise awareness of these chemicals, CSC has sponsored an educational video about phthalates in the home.”

To view this video, please visit:

http://youtu.be/u5jA4JWa9p8



To learn more about phthalates, indoor air quality or other health and safety issues, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark

CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address environmental, IAQ, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.