Exposure to phthalates, substances used as plasticizers in a large number of consumer goods, can occur by ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. Children-who are uniquely vulnerable to adverse health effects of environmental exposures because of their still-developing neuro logical, immunological, and respiratory systems-can receive particularly high exposures due to more frequent hand-to-mouth activity, combined with contact with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surfaces and house dust, which collects phthalates (and other chemicals). Researchers now report an association between phthalate exposure and asthma and allergic disease in a cohort of 10-year-old Norwegian children [EHP 121(2):251-256; Bertelsen et al.].
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Tanya Tillett (2013) studied this question.