di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a chemical that makes plastics more flexible and is a known endocrine-disrupting compound (ATSDR, 2022)
Despite 20 years of research showing that exposure to phthalates such as DEHP can increase reproductive and developmental risks, and other endocrine abnormalities (Bernard et al., 2023), DEHP is still found in IV bags and tubing and remains legal in 48 states.
The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) has supported state level legislation to remove DEHP from IV bags and IV tubing. Successful DEHP bans in IV bags and tubing have taken place in California, which passed the Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act (AB 2300) in 2024, the first law in the nation. This was followed by North Carolina’s Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act (HB 592) which successfully passed in 2025. Similar bills have been proposed in Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.
Making IV bags and tubing without DEHP is entirely possible and cost-effective, and three of four major IV bag manufacturers already have large portfolios of U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved DEHP-free IV bags. For more information see Breast Cancer Prevention Partners Report Toxic Free IV.
ANHE has supported DEHP efforts at the state level like in North Carolina and New York.
For more information see Breast Cancer Prevention Partners report Toxic Free IV: Getting Harmful Chemicals out of IV Bags and IV Tubing (August 2024) Executive Summary & Full Report
Nurses in Action
You can check out an article featuring the work of ANHE nurse member Dr. Jacobson Vann here: North Carolina bans plasticizer chemical in some hospital equipment
