Q. Are you aware of the health hazards posed by DEHP? The mother
of a baby in my care asked for phthalate-free care. What does
this mean? A. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate—or DEHP—is not yet a
household word among nurses, but it can be found in many health
care products, including iv tubing, iv bags, and feeding tubes.
A member of a group of chemicals known collectively as
phthalates, DEHP is a chemical compound added to polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) plastic during the manufacturing process to make
the final product flexible, strong, and moldable into various
shapes and designs. By weight, DEHP makes up 20% to 40% of PVC
products on average. DEHP poses risks to health and human
development because it does not bind with plastic, so it can
leach out of PVC medical products during medical procedures.
During medical interventions such as hemodialysis or
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), that require long-
term exposure to iv lines DEHP exposure is significantly
increased. Pediatric and in-utero exposures are of