A Chinese-made polyvinyl chloride (PVC) food wrap in which diethylhexyl adipate (DEHA), a substance harmful to the human body, was detected at 359 mg/L — more than 20 times the domestic permissible limit of 18 mg/L. [Provided by the Ulsan Institute of Health and Environment]
A Chinese-made polyvinyl chloride (PVC) food wrap in which diethylhexyl adipate (DEHA), a substance harmful to the human body, was detected at 359 mg/L — more than 20 times the domestic permissible limit of 18 mg/L. [Provided by the Ulsan Institute of Health and Environment]

Large amounts of diethylhexyl adipate (DEHA), a plasticizer linked to reproductive dysfunction and developmental disorders, have been found in food utensils, containers and packaging sold on overseas online marketplaces, prompting health authorities to urge caution.

The Ulsan Institute of Health and Environment said Friday it tested 40 items — food utensils, containers and packaging — purchased through overseas online platforms and found excessive levels of the plasticizer DEHA in seven polyvinyl chloride (PVC) food wraps.

All seven PVC wrap products exceeded the domestic standard of 18 mg/L for DEHA, with at least one registering more than 20 times that limit.

Plasticizers are added to PVC wrap to increase flexibility, making safety management critical. Products bought through overseas direct-purchase channels, however, are not subject to import declaration requirements or domestic safety standards under the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management, leaving them effectively unregulated.

Plasticizers are known to disrupt the endocrine system and cause reproductive dysfunction and developmental disorders. The risk of chemical leaching increases when wrap is used with fatty foods or at high temperatures, warranting extra caution in those situations.

"Because overseas direct-purchase food products are shipped directly to individual consumers for personal use, their safety cannot be guaranteed," an institute official said, urging consumers to check the safety information for any wrap product in which DEHA has been detected.

A list of wrap products in which DEHA was detected is available on the Ulsan Institute of Health and Environment's website under the "Notice Board" section.


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