Can DINP plasticizer from food packaging cause fatty liver disease?

What's actually in it

DINP (diisononyl phthalate) is a plasticizer used to replace older phthalates like DEHP. It's found in food packaging, cling wrap, gloves used in food handling, and some toys. DINP migrates from packaging into food, especially fatty or oily foods. It was considered safer than DEHP, but new research questions that assumption.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Toxicol Appl Pharmacol investigated how prenatal DINP exposure affects the liver. The researchers found that DINP triggered hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) by disrupting fat metabolism pathways. The liver accumulated excess fat in ways that could progress to inflammation and fibrosis.

Fatty liver is now the most common liver disease worldwide. If a plasticizer in everyday food packaging contributes to this epidemic, the public health impact is enormous.

Minimize DINP exposure by avoiding plastic cling wrap on fatty foods. Use wax wraps or glass containers instead. Don't microwave food in plastic wrap or containers.