Phthalates are a class of chemical compounds widely used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride resins, adhesives, and cellulose fi lm coating. To date nearly 20 kinds of phthalates (structures shown in Figure 1) have been used for these purposes. Phthalates are potentially hazardous to human healthespecially to childrens healthdue to their classifi cation as endocrine disruptors. This has resulted in regulations regarding the types and levels of phthalates allowable in plastic toys,1 water containers,2-4 textiles,5 and foods.6 For example, Directive 2005/84/EC1 lists six phthalates (Table 1) that need to be monitored when used as plasticizers in toys and childcare articles and, if present, must be at concentrations 0.1% of the mass of the product.