Phthalates are chemical compounds that have been identified as causing adverse developmental and reproductive effects in laboratory animals.  Limited human studies have suggested a possible association of two phthalates – dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) – with male reproductive health problems.  Katherine E Kelley, from Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues have found that phthalates are present in 50 prescription and 40 over-the-counter drugs. Added to medicines as an “inactive ingredient,” phthalates are purported to coat the drug product to target the delivery of the active ingredients to a specific area of the gastrointestinal tract, or to manage its release over time.  The team warns that: “Numerous [prescription] and [over-the-counter] drug products …  may use [phthalates] as excipients in oral dosage forms. The potential effects of human exposure to these phthalates through medications are unknown and warrant further investigation.”