Di‐2–ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) Content of Blood or Blood Components Stored in Plastic Bags

. Di‐2‐ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer used in the manufacture of plastic bags for blood products, which may be toxic. No more than a trace (less than 0.1 μg/ml) could be detected in anticoagulants in blood bags, or in the blood of healthy untransfused subjects. A mean of 23 μg/ml was found in ACD whole blood after 2 weeks storage, and 46 μg/ml after 3 weeks; the corresponding figures for packed cells were 39 and 45 μg/ml. The level in CPD whole blood was similar. Fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate contained 7 μg/ml, while levels of 1.0 and 0.7 μg/ml of DEHP were found in the blood of two patients who had received massive transfusions. Most DEHP in stored blood was associated with plasma lipoproteins.