Five Plastic Chemicals’ Risks Prompt EPA to Start Crafting Rules

The EPA announced Wednesday it will regulate dozens of ways five chemicals are used to protect workers and the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency released its final evaluations of the risks posed by five phthalates—butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)—commonly used to make plastics flexible but also to produce paint, rubber, and textiles.

The chemicals are linked by their similar uses and their unreasonably risky potential to affect hormones, the EPA said. All five increase the risk of harming male development by reducing fetal testosterone levels resulting in genital ...