Phthalates in vegetable oils collected across China and reproductive risk
What it found
Two plastic-softening chemicals were found in four types of vegetable oil from China, with hazard scores mostly below 1.
The authors say the reproductive health risk to Chinese residents is relatively small.
What they found
Studies in people
Risk scores mostly low
The combined risk score for both chemicals stayed below 1 in most oils. Soybean oil was the only exception where the score reached or passed that mark.
Other findings
Chemicals found in oils
Both chemicals were detected in all four oil types tested. DBP was found more often at 13.48% of samples, while DEHP appeared in 7.78%.
Soybean oil detection rates
Even though soybean oil had a higher risk score, it actually had the lowest detection rates. Only 1.94% of samples contained DEHP and 5.16% contained DBP.
Soil affects oil contamination
In China, how much of these chemicals end up in cooking oils depends heavily on contamination levels in the soil where the crops grow.
What the authors conclude
- They advise people in China who eat soybean oil to pick well-known brands and switch brands regularly.
- The authors conclude that these chemicals in cooking oils present a relatively small risk to reproductive health for Chinese residents.
How it was done
These chemicals are used to soften plastics and are known to affect reproduction. People in China are often exposed to them through cooking oils.
Scientists tested 1016 samples of four cooking oils collected across China for two specific phthalate chemicals. They then estimated the combined reproductive health risk these chemicals pose to Chinese residents who eat those oils.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work measured chemicals in food and estimated risk using models rather than tracking actual health outcomes in people over time.
- It cannot show whether eating these oils actually causes reproductive problems in real life.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Hunan Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Team Project; Food and Drug Safety Science and Technology Project (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Crop Research Institute, China; Hunan Institute of Food Quality Supervision Inspection and Research, China; Hunan Agricultural University, China
The paper
- Title
- Cumulative risk assessment of phthalates in edible vegetable oil consumed by Chinese residents
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Xiang W, Gong Q, Xu J, et al (2020). Cumulative risk assessment of phthalates in edible vegetable oil consumed by Chinese residents. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.10121PubMed 31680259DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error