Are classroom materials in daycare exposing children to harmful plasticizers?

What's actually in it

Daycare and kindergarten classrooms are full of soft plastic: vinyl flooring, foam play mats, plastic toys, nap-time cots, and art supplies. All of these can contain plasticizers, chemicals that make plastic soft and flexible. The most common are phthalates like DEHP and DBP, but newer replacements like DINCH and DEHT are also showing up.

These chemicals slowly escape from plastic into classroom air and dust. Children absorb them by breathing and through hand-to-mouth contact.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Int measured both legacy and emerging plasticizer levels in kindergarten classrooms. The researchers used innovative source tracking to figure out which products were releasing the most chemicals.

Vinyl flooring was the single biggest source of airborne plasticizers. Foam nap mats and plastic storage bins were close behind. The study detected DEHP in every classroom tested, along with newer plasticizers that were supposed to be safer alternatives.

Children in these classrooms breathed in plasticizer levels that exceeded recommended daily limits in some cases. Since children breathe faster than adults relative to their body weight, their dose per pound is higher.

The concerning part is that many of the "replacement" plasticizers have barely been studied for long-term health effects. They were introduced as safer options but without the decades of research that revealed DEHP's problems.

If you're choosing a daycare, look for facilities with hardwood or tile floors instead of vinyl, toys made from wood or silicone, and good ventilation. Regular cleaning with damp cloths also reduces plasticizer dust.