At a glance
| Chemical family | Phthalates |
| CAS number | 84-69-5 |
| IARC classification | Not classified |
| Activated carbon capture | Partial |
| Evidence strength | Moderate |
| Primary audience | Parents, general population |
Regulatory & certification status
Where DIBP (Diisobutyl Phthalate) stands across the major regulatory systems and the certifications a bedroom product might carry. Each row links to the governing instrument; where a jurisdiction has no specific measure, that is stated plainly rather than left blank.
| European Union | DIBP is a REACH Substance of Very High Concern (toxic for reproduction, Art. 57(c)) and is on the Authorisation List (Annex XIV), so its use in the EU requires authorisation (sunset date 21 Feb 2015). Its harmonised CLP classification is reproductive toxicant category 1B, H360Df (Annex VI index 607-623-00-2). DIBP is also one of four phthalates (with DEHP, DBP, BBP) restricted under Annex XVII entry 51: as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/2005 (17 Dec 2018), they must not be present, individually or combined, at 0.1% or more by weight of the plasticised material in articles that contact mucous membranes or are in prolonged skin contact, and in toys and childcare articles, for articles placed on the market after 7 July 2020. Regulatory — EUR-Lex · UK legislation |
| United States | Under TSCA, EPA released its final risk evaluation for DIBP in December 2025 and determined it presents unreasonable risk of injury to human health (based on risk to workers from four conditions of use) and to the environment (from seven conditions of use); EPA found no unreasonable risk to consumers or the general population. DIBP is NOT listed on California Proposition 65 — verified against the current OEHHA list, where DBP, DEHP and BBP appear but diisobutyl phthalate (CAS 84-69-5) does not. Separately, under the federal CPSIA, CPSC's 2017 final rule (effective 25 Apr 2018) prohibits DIBP at concentrations above 0.1% in children's toys and childcare articles. Regulatory — US EPA · OEHHA |
| Canada | Under CEPA, the final Phthalate Substance Grouping screening assessment (published 2020) concluded that DEHP meets the section 64 'toxic' criteria (harmful to the environment), while the other 14 phthalates in the grouping — including DIBP — do not meet any of the section 64 criteria. DIBP is therefore not recommended for, or added to, Schedule 1 on the basis of that assessment. (Note: Canada's Phthalates Regulations, SOR/2016-188, under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, restrict DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP in toys and childcare articles but do not name diisobutyl phthalate; a draft-record claim that DIBP is restricted under SOR/2016-188 was not supported by the regulation text and has been removed.) Regulatory — Government of Canada · Justice Laws Canada |
| Australia | Australia's industrial chemicals regulator (NICNAS, now AICIS) assessed DIBP in an Existing Chemical Hazard Assessment (2008) and addressed it in the phthalate-esters environment tier II assessment (2020), describing evidence of male reproductive and developmental toxicity. No specific binding IChEMS register schedule listing for DIBP was confirmed against a primary source, so any regulatory-listing status is treated as unconfirmed. Regulatory — AICIS |
| United Kingdom | On EU exit, GB inherited the EU REACH framework, so DIBP's reproductive-toxicant (Repr. 1B) status and its presence on the EU SVHC/Authorisation List at end of transition carried into UK REACH and GB mandatory (GB CLP) classification. However, the GB candidate and authorisation lists have been maintained separately since 2021 and can diverge from the EU, and DIBP's specific current GB listing status was not independently confirmed against a primary HSE source (only the generic HSE landing pages were available). Treat the GB position as 'inherited the EU classification' rather than a verified line-item listing. Regulatory — HSE |
| Certifications | CertiPUR-US: its program prohibits phthalates regulated by the U.S. CPSC in certified foams, and DIBP is one of the phthalates the CPSC permanently prohibits under the CPSIA (2017 final rule), so DIBP falls within that bar. OEKO-TEX Standard 100: DIBP (CAS 84-69-5) is an SVHC and is treated as a restricted phthalate; total-phthalate limit values apply, with the limits and scope varying by product class. GREENGUARD Gold certifies low chemical/VOC emissions and is not designed to screen for a low-volatility plasticiser like DIBP; it is not a phthalate-restriction standard. (The relevant CertiPUR-US wording is on its certification/program pages, not the generic 'About' page; cited accordingly.) Industry — CertiPUR-US · Federal Register |
| The 72-hour test window | Largely missed. DIBP is a semi-volatile plasticiser additive (low vapour pressure) that tends to migrate out of the polymer matrix into dust and onto surfaces over time rather than off-gas quickly, so a short ~72-hour VOC chamber test is not expected to reliably capture it. Inferred — from the compound's volatility/emission profile versus the VOC focus of short chamber tests |
What it is
DIBP — diisobutyl phthalate, CAS 84-69-5 — is a phthalate ester structurally very similar to DBP (dibutyl phthalate). Industrial use of DIBP increased as DBP came under regulatory scrutiny in the EU and US through the 2000s and 2010s, despite the two compounds sharing substantially similar toxicological profiles. Peer-reviewed — multiple ECHA evaluations have grouped DIBP and DBP together for regulatory purposes
Where you encounter it
DIBP appears in PVC products, nitrocellulose finishes, paints, lacquers, adhesives, and printing inks. It has been detected in flexible PVC films used as mattress moisture barriers and in some adhesives used in mattress construction.
Why it matters for sleep environments
DIBP is a textbook regrettable substitution — a replacement chemical that shares most of the same hazard profile as the compound it replaced. EU REACH listed DIBP as a Substance of Very High Concern in 2010 specifically for reproductive toxicity. Peer-reviewed — ECHA SVHC list The compound migrates out of the polymer matrix similarly to other phthalates, with body heat accelerating release. Biomonitoring detects its metabolites in human urine at increasing rates as DBP use has been restricted.
Related compounds
This is a preview of an Atlas entry under development. Last reviewed 2026-05-19. If you find a factual error, contact us.