Source: International Business

Recently, the European Parliament passed a non-binding bill involving di-2-ethylhexylphosphate (DEHP). The substance is widely used in plasticizer of plastic products. The bill pointed out that the European Commission should not allow the recycling of plastic containing DEHP, or allow it to be made into polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products such as shoes and floor coverings. The reason is that DEHP poses risk to the reproductive system of workers.

At the plenary meeting in Strasbourg, the European Parliament passed the non-binding bill. Council of Minister of EU still had to vote for the bill. If it failed to be passed by the majority, the European Commission would finally decide.

According to the bill, DEHP involves a wide range of applications. For example, PVC containing DEHP is widely used in consumer goods in daily life, including shoes, textiles, furniture and building materials. DEHP contained in plastic is easy to flow into the environment.

Under REACH regulations of EU, the use of DEHP has been prohibitive because it is classified as Category 1B substance which has toxicity for the reproductive system. In fact, under REACH regulations, DEHP is one of the first six chemicals gradually falling into disuse. However, in a draft bill the European Commission proposed to allow the recycled waste plastic containing DEHP to be made into new PVC products, but the draft bill has not been passed by EU member states.