Dimethyl phthalate
Status: No national drinking water standard exists
Dimethyl phthalate is an additive used in plastics and other consumer products. As a group, phthalates are associated with hormone disruption. Read More.
Phthalates are synthetic chemicals that are added to hard plastics to make them soft and malleable. Phthalates can be found in everyday consumer products such as carpets, paints, glues, wall coverings, tablecloths, furniture upholstery, shower curtains, garden� hoses, toys, shoes, automobile upholstery, food packaging and medical products. Exposure to phthalates has been linked to respiratory health problems, asthma and allergies in infants and children, and changes in reproductive system development in baby boys. The National Toxicology Program classifies a commonly used phthalate, called di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP, as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."
2017-2019:
3
states detected
5
utilities detected
36,123
people served
Health concerns for dimethyl phthalate
Hormone disruption
States reporting dimethyl phthalate in drinking water
| UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Utilities | People Served | |
| Texas | 1 | 24,153 | |
| Arkansas | 3 | 11,597 | |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 373 | |
Filtering technologies that reduce dimethyl phthalate
Activated Carbon
Reverse Osmosis
Utilities with the highest amounts of dimethyl phthalate, 2017-2019
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mena Water* | Mena, AR | 1 of 14 | 0.246 ppb | 7,784 |
| Acorn Rural Water | Not Submitted, AR | 1 of 14 | 0.246 ppb | 1,975 |
| Freedom Water | Mena, AR | 1 of 14 | 0.246 ppb | 1,838 |
| Leflore County Rural Water District #17 | Hodgen, OK | 1 of 14 | 0.246 ppb | 373 |
| Clwsc Canyon Lake Shores* | Canyon Lake, TX | 1 of 44 | 0.0477 ppb | 24,153 |
| NJ Water Supply Authority Manasquan* | Allenwood, NJ | 1 of 4 | 0.00750 ppb | 30 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Dimethyl phthalate, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clwsc Canyon Lake Shores* | Canyon Lake, TX | 1 of 44 | 0.0477 ppb | 24,153 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Dimethyl phthalate, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.