The First Phthalate Standard for Textiles
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| The first European Standard for determination of phthalate content in textile articles, EN 15777: 2009, has been published by European Committee for Standardization (CEN). |
Currently, there are several standard methods to determine phthalate content in consumer products. The scopes of these standards mostly cover food wares and polyvinyl chloride plastic (Table 1). The new European Standard EN 15777: 2009 is the first standard to publish a specific standard for coated material or plastisol prints on textiles.
Phthalates are a class of compounds used most commonly as a softener for plastic or color coatings and have diverse other uses in modern commerce. In textile industries, phthalates are widely used within applied motifs, coated fabrics, plastisol prints, buttons, etc. Classified as endocrine disruptors and exhibiting bioaccumulative properties, certain phthalates are regulated in the US and EU markets1. Therefore, phthalates are an important issue for textile manufacturers and retailers.
The European Standard EN 15777: 2009
The aim of the method in this standard is to extract the regulated phthalates2 from the textile and related accessories e.g. coated fabrics and plastisol print. The specification of the method is to calculate the phthalate content based on the mass of the print to the mass of the whole sample.
Table 1: Summary of phthalate methods commonly adopted by textile industries
1 SGS SafeguardS 168/09 - FULL COMPLIANCE TO PHTHALATES BAN IN TEXTILES
2 Commission Directive 2005/84/EC Phthalates in toys and child care articles
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