Plasticizers, also known as plasticizers, are substances that can be added to polymer materials to increase the plasticity of polymers. They are an important chemical product additive. They are commonly used as additives in plastic products, concrete, plaster, cement, In materials such as plaster, cosmetics, and cleaning agents. The role of plasticizers is mainly to weaken the secondary bonds between resin molecules, increase the mobility of resin molecular bonds, reduce the crystallinity of resin molecules, increase the plasticity of resin molecules, and make them more flexible and easy to process.
There are many types of plasticizers, including phthalates, aliphatic dibasic acid esters, fatty acid esters, benzene polyacid esters, polyhydric alcohol esters, epoxy hydrocarbons, alkyl sulfonates, etc. In a narrow sense, plasticizers mainly refer to phthalate esters (PAEs), which is a general term for about 30 esters formed by phthalic acid. At present, it is the main body of plasticizers.
PAEs can enter the human body through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and skin. Current studies at home and abroad have found that the pollution of PAEs in the population has been quite serious. PAEs have been detected in the blood of precocious girls, urine samples of women of childbearing age, and breast milk.
The acute toxicity of PAEs is low. The LD50 of rats is 30～34g/kg orally, 15～30g/kg intraperitoneally, and 1～2g/kg intravenously. The LD50 of mice is 33.32g/kg and rabbits are 33.9g/kg. , the Guinea pig is 26.3g/kg. PAEs can act on the chromosomes of cells, causing changes in the number or structure of chromosomes, causing some tissues and cells to grow out of control and cause tumors. PAEs have shown obvious anti-androgen effects in vivo and in vitro experiments and animal models, and have an impact on the development of the endocrine and reproductive systems of infants and young children. The estrogenic effects of PAEs may be related to developmental abnormalities of the reproductive system, reproductive dysfunction, tumors of the reproductive system and endocrine system, and damage to the development and function of the nervous system. There are reports of acute poisoning due to accidental ingestion of PAEs, which can cause gastrointestinal irritation, central nervous system depression, paralysis, and lower blood pressure. The chronic toxicity of PAEs mainly manifests as decreased renal function, increased number of focal renal cysts, and renal tubular pigmentation. In addition, PAEs can also cause liver toxicity, lung toxicity, and cardiotoxicity. Long-term exposure to PAEs can cause symptoms such as polyneuritis, hypoesthesia, and numbness. Some scholars believe that the increase in asthma may also be related to people's exposure to PAEs in daily life.
According to the modern lifestyle, it is almost impossible to avoid plasticizers completely, but there is no need to be overly nervous because plasticizers in normal life will not harm the human body. However, people should also contact plastic products containing plasticizers as little as possible. The easiest thing to contact with food in daily life is cling film, which is divided into polyethylene (PE) cling film and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cling film. If the plastic product is marked with PVC, it means it contains a plasticizer. It is especially important to note that foods with plastic wrap must not be heated in a microwave oven, especially meat, because plasticizers will release toxic substances once they come into contact with fats and oils.