The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Phthalates are aromatic compounds that are found throughout the environment and are used in some plastics, solvents, detergents, lubricating oils, and cosmetics. There is concern that phthalates can cause cancer or reproductive problems in people and animals. In 1998, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) conducted a study of the amount of one type of phthalate, diisononyl phthalate (DINP) that can leach from children's products such as teethers, rattles, and toys. This study set an international standard concentration for DINP in children's products that is 10 times higher than the level found to cause health problems in laboratory animals. The results of a study released in 2000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) found four types of phthalates in the urine of more than 75% of test subjects, indicating that the phthalates that humans are exposed to in the environment are metabolized. The study was not designed to provide information on the health risks of phthalates or on the degree of exposure of the United States population, and follow-up studies by the CDC are measuring phthalate concentrations in a larger part of the population, including children six years old and older.