Germany’s Federal Environment Agency (UBA) is sounding the alarm after finding high levels in humans of a banned plasticiser—a chemical added to a material to make it more flexible and less brittle. The presence of the harmful substance, linked to male infertility and higher risks of diabetes and obesity, was discovered as part of the ongoing 6th German environmental study on health.
UBA toxicologist Marika Kolossa said to Die Welt that the metabolite MnHexP had been found in 28 percent of urine samples so far.
A breakdown product of the plasticizer di-n-hexyl phthalate (DnHexP), MnHexP, has been strictly regulated since 2013 and is largely prohibited in the European Union. It was first discovered in humans in 2023.
“Such a substance should not be found in the body—and we find it,” said Kolossa. “It is a major problem,” Kolossa said now.
The origin of the plasticizer is so far unknown. The results that have been made public come from an investigation into samples in North Rhine-Westphalia.
“This is a real detective story. We are now undertaking a full investigation in Germany,” Kolossa said.
The German agency also works closely with EU authorities.
Kolossa explained that in animal experiments, the metabolite was shown to be harmful to reproduction. It mainly affects the reproductive organs of male fetuses in the womb, but animal experiments also showed that in adults, it can increase the risk for diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Concentrations have been discovered in individual people “which are so high that a health risk cannot be ruled out,” Kolossa added.
Chemical expert Lars Tietjen from UBA said that though DnHexP has been almost completely banned in the EU for years, the substance could still be found in the EU through imported products and in old products produced in the EU.
“I do not have any information about larger processed quantities, but it cannot be ruled out,” he also warned.
As part of the ongoing investigation in North Rhine-Westphalia experts from the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection ( Lanuv ) retrospectively examined old urine samples from kindergarten children. They found that, between 2017 and 2021, the proportion of samples contaminated with MnHeP increased from 26% to 61%. Lanuv said in a statement that the reason for this is completely unclear.
According to Lanuv, the plasticizer DnHexP has been listed as a substance of very high concern in the European Union since 2013. It is no longer permitted as an ingredient in cosmetic products, food contact materials, or toys.
While the birth rate in Europe has dropped significantly since the 1960s, it is unclear what role undesired infertility plays. French President Emmanuel Macron in a speech recently stated that one in four French couples today who want children are unable to conceive.
Fertility rate, total (births per woman) – European Union
A 1992 meta-analysis (evaluating earlier studies) found significant declines in sperm count in the United States, Europe, and Australia, over the past 50 years, but no such decline in non-Western countries.
More recently, a 2017 meta-analysis found an overall 32.5% decrease in mean sperm concentration, and said that while “environmental or lifestyle factors, such as occupational and environmental exposures, medications and sexually transmitted diseases” could have an impact,
the proper causes and their correlation with declining sperm concentration in European population in the past 50 years still remain to be elucidated.