Determination of phthalic acid, mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in human plasma and in blood products

Pretreatment for the determination of phthalic acid, mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in human serum or plasma, and the determination of these compounds in blood products by high-performance liquid chromatography was studied. The amount of phthalic acid, MEHP and DEHP, migrated into blood products from a flexible bag, was studied. About 0.1% of DEHP in a flexible bag was found to have migrated into human platelet plasma. Most of the MEHP and phthalic acid detected in human platelet plasma was not derived from the flexible bag but was produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of the migrated DEHP. The amount of DEHP eluted into blood products from the flexible bag differed, depending upon storage time, storage temperature, etc.