DIBP systematic review suggests US IRIS assessment progress

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists have published a systematic review of the animal data for the phthalate DIBP, suggesting a step forward in the Integrated Risk Information System’s (IRIS) assessment of the substance. The IRIS programme published preliminary assessment materials in 2014 and held a public meeting the following year. However, according to the agency’s website, the programme has not made any formal progress since then. The systematic review is published in Environmental International. The authors include Erin Yost – first and corresponding author – and Todd Blessinger, who are the EPA’s assessment managers for DIBP. They identified 19 rat and mouse studies for inclusion in the systematic review and found “robust” evidence that DIBP causes male reproductive and developmental toxicity.

They also found:

  • “slight” evidence for female reproductive toxicity and effects on the liver; and
  • “indeterminate” evidence for carcinogenicity and effects on the kidney.

The results “support DIBP as a children’s health concern”, they say in their conclusion. “Data gaps include the need for more studies on male reproductive effects following postnatal and adult exposure, and studies to characterise potential hormonal mechanisms in females.” Further Information is available at:

Chemical Watch, 14 January 2019 ; http://chemicalwatch.com