Satyanarayana S, et al’s article depicting the ubiquity of the
phthalates in baby products is pertinent and well written. As the
information about the clinical effects of different ingredients like
phthalates is gradually being dispersed, it is worth knowing that many
healthcare products also contain phthalates. The list is exhaustive. Weuve
J et al was successful in showing that babies in Neonatal ICU had
significantly elevated levels of phthalate metabolites which was
attributed to the use of healthcare devices made of plasticizer di(2-
ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). With this information, it behooves on the
healthcare community to incorporate nontoxic alternates to Phthalate in
healthcare /medical products, which would go a long way in upholding the
primary Hippocratic principle of no harm.
There might be another explanation to the relative high Z score in babies
of age less than 8 months who are exposed to baby lotion, as depicted in
the article; multiple references have suggested that the phthalates are
lipophilic which would explain the enhanced the dermal absorption. This
effect is, conceivably, multiplied in neonates and infants because of the
immature cutaneous system and relatively increased fat content in the skin
compared to that of adults. In addition, apart from the fact that baby
lotions are being dispatched in phthalate constituted containers, many
commercial types of baby lotions contain propylene glycol, other lipids
and alcoholic compounds. Emulsions containing propylene glycol has been
studied for as an effective vehicle to enhance dermal drug delivery in
topical preparations (Subramanyan N et al 2004). In another study,
Pellings et al was successful in showing that the rate and extent of
phthalate absorption through epidermis was greatly increased (40- to 80-
fold) using 50% ethanol/water as receptor fluid compared with using saline
as vehicle; it is not uncommon to find alcohol components in many
commercial baby products.
1.Weuve J, Sánchez BN, Calafat AM, Schettler T, Green RA, Hu H,
Hauser R. Exposure to phthalates in neonatal intensive care unit infants:
urinary concentrations of monoesters and oxidative metabolites. Environ
Health Perspect. 2006 Sep;114(9):1424-31
2.Subramanian N, Ghosal SK, Moulik SP. Topical delivery of celecoxib
using microemulsion. Acta Pol Pharm. 2004 Sep-Oct;61(5):335-41
3.http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=24 ( accessed on Feb 4
2008)
4.Pelling D, Phillips JC, Cunningham ME. Absorption of Hydrophilic
and lipophilic compounds through epidermal and sub epidermal strata of
rat skin in vitro. Toxicology in vitro 1997;12(1):47-55
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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