Dimethyl phthalate (1994)
Abstract
In man, dimethyl phthalate (DMP) has caused skin irritation reactions and skin sensitization was induced in one individual. Repeated inhalation of the vapour irritated the nose and upper respiratory tract. DMP caused irritation and ulceration when repeatedly applied to mouse skin, but in rabbits it produced only weak skin and eye effects. Acute oral and dermal toxicity in a number of animal species was low. Limited or poorly reported oral studies in rats indicated repeated exposure may produce kidney damage and mild effects on the liver. Kidney and liver injury was seen in rabbits on repeated skin contact with DMP. The offspring of mice and rats treated orally or dermally were normal, whereas foetal deaths and malformations were seen when pregnant rats were given intraperitoneal injections. DMP did not enhance the tumour yield of an established skin carcinogen when applied repeatedly to the skin of mice. Mutagenic activity was observed in the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium (Ames test). There was apparently some evidence of chromosome damage in the liver cells of rats given repeated skin applications of DMP but not in the bone marrow cells of mice treated by single injection.
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