Question from Jen
Hi Debra,
Really appreciate the work that you do.
I have a simple question that I can’t seem to find an answer to: How long generally does it take to outgas phthalates? Do products continually outgas them? Thank you!
Debra’s Answer
First I want to be clear that “phthalates” is not a material, but rather a group of chemicals added primarily to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, to make the PVC more flexible and harder to break.
So technically, I think you question is, “How long does it take for phthalates to outgas out of PVC so it is no longer outgassing?”
I don’t have actual numbers for this, but here’s the thing. Phthalates are added to PVC to keep it soft. As along as it’s soft, there are phthalates in the PVC that can outgas. When the PVC finally outgassed all the phthalates, it becomes brittle and rips or breaks. So we’re talking years here, not days or months.
Yes, products that contain phthalates continually outgas them.
