Risk Evaluation for Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1- butyl 2(phenylmethyl) ester) (BBP)

In August 2025, EPA released the draft risk evaluation and associated technical support documents for butyl benzyl phthalate (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1- butyl 2(phenylmethyl) ester) (BBP) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for public comment.

EPA designated BBP as a High-Priority Substance in December 2019 and the chemical is currently undergoing risk evaluation.

Find other information about other chemicals undergoing risk evaluations under TSCA.

On this page:

Risk Evaluation Findings
Background on BBP
Conditions of Use of BBP
Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment
Draft Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents

Risk Evaluation Findings

EPA is preliminarily determining that BBP presents unreasonable risk of injury to human health based on risk to workers from 16 COUs and that BBP presents an unreasonable risk to the environment from four COUs. Two of these COUs have significant contributions to unreasonable risk for both human health and the environment. EPA did not preliminarily identify a risk of injury to human health or the environment from the other 20 COUs for BBP. For COUs with unreasonable risk to workers, these preliminary risk determinations do not reflect the use of personal protective equipment (PPE); however, as the draft risk evaluation shows, the use of PPE may reduce exposures and mitigate risk. EPA did not preliminarily determine that BBP presents unreasonable risk of injury to human health for consumers or the general population from any COU.

Background on BBP

BBP (CASRN 85-68-7) is a clear, oily liquid. The primary use for BBP is as a plasticizer in adhesives and sealants, floor coverings, paints and coatings, and use in plastic and rubber products. Information from the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) for BBP indicates the reported production volume is between 10 million and 50 million lbs/year (manufacture and import).

Conditions of Use of BBP

In the final scope, EPA identified conditions of use associated with the importing; processing; distribution in commerce; industrial, commercial and consumer uses; and disposal of BBP, for example:

In floor coverings;
In adhesive and sealant manufacturing and paint and coating manufacturing;
For laboratory chemicals; and
In commercial and consumer products, including adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, floor coverings, furniture, fabric, textiles and leather.

The above listed conditions of use are ways that a person or the environment could be potentially exposed to this chemical. However, when conducting a risk evaluation, EPA also considers the hazards (i.e., health effects or environmental impacts) that could occur from coming in contact with a chemical.

Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment

In August 2025, EPA released the draft risk evaluation for public comment. EPA will accept comments for 60 days via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0501 on regulations.gov. Although EPA’s Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) will not peer review the draft risk evaluation for BBP, it is reviewing the draft risk evaluations for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), as well as several technical support documents that will support the risk evaluation for BBP. The human health and environmental hazard assessment and physical chemical properties and environmental fate and transport technical support document for BBP are included in this SACC review. The exposure methodologies demonstrated in the Draft Risk Evaluation for DBP, DCHP, and DEHP will be applicable to BBP exposure scenarios. EPA will consider the SACC recommendations from this upcoming peer review when developing the risk evaluations and unreasonable risk determinations for this chemical. Therefore, EPA does not expect the need for an additional peer review of the risk evaluation for BBP.

In August 2020, EPA published a final scope document outlining the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations the agency expects to consider in its risk evaluation. The agency released the draft scope in April 2020 and took public comments on the draft document.

Read the final scope of the risk evaluation for this chemical and EPA’s response to comments on the draft scope.
View the docket for this chemical, EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0501 on regulations.gov.

As EPA continues to move through the risk evaluation process there will be additional opportunities for public comment, including a public comment period on the draft risk evaluation. In addition to public comment periods, EPA will continue to engage with stakeholders as it refines the risk evaluation and stakeholders should reach out to EPA via the staff contact to engage with the agency.

Draft Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents

View the supporting documents in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0501.