ISO 8124-6:2018

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 8124-6
Second edition
2018-11
Safety of toys —
Part 6:
Certain phthalate esters in toys and
children's products
Sécurité des jouets —
Partie 6: Dosage de certains esters de phtalates dans les jouets et
produits pour enfants
Reference number
©
ISO 2018
© ISO 2018
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Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Principle . 2
5 Reagents . 2
6 Apparatus . 3
7 Selection of test portion . 4
8 Procedure. 5
8.1 Sample weighing . 5
8.2 Extraction . 5
8.2.1 Options for extraction method. 5
8.2.2 Method A . 5
8.2.3 Method B . 5
8.2.4 Method C . 5
8.3 Sample solution for analysis . 6
8.3.1 General. 6
8.3.2 Quantification by external standard (ES) calibration . 6
8.3.3 Quantification by IS calibration . 6
8.4 Determination . 7
8.4.1 GC-MS conditions . 7
8.4.2 Identification . 7
8.4.3 Calibration . 8
9 Calculation . 9
9.1 External standard (ES) calculation . 9
9.2 Internal standard (IS) calculation .10
10 Quality control .10
10.1 Limit of quantification (LOQ) .10
10.2 Method blank .10
10.3 Recovery .10
10.4 Calibration check .10
11 Precision .11
12 Test report .11
Annex A (normative) Phthalate esters .12
Annex B (informative) Precision of the method .13
Annex C (informative) Soxhlet extractor and solvent extractor .17
Annex D (informative) Composite test .19
Annex E (normative) Ultrasonic bath performance check .22
Annex F (informative) Example of GC-MS conditions .25
Annex G (informative) Background and rationale .29
Bibliography .32
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso
.org/iso/foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 181, Safety of toys.
This second edition of ISO 8124-6 cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 8124-6:2014), which has
been technically revised.
The main changes to the previous edition are as follows:
— addition of di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP) in Clause 1 and Annex A;
— addition of liquid material in Clause 1, Clause 7 and Annex A;
— addition of a new Clause 2, Normative references, and renumbering of subsequent clauses;
— addition of a new method C, “ultrasonic bath method”;
— update and reorganization of the inter-laboratory collaborative trial test data in Annex B;
— addition of a new Annex E, Ultrasonic bath performance check, and renumbering of all annexes.
A list of all parts in the ISO 8124 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/members .html.
iv © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document is largely based upon the existing Chinese national standard GB/T 22048-2008. Relevant
standards of some countries and regions are referred to as well.
This document does not set out limits for phthalate esters. It is intended to be used as a method
standard in conformity assessment. The user of this document is therefore advised to be aware of
relevant national requirements.
In some countries phthalate ester requirements for toys are also applicable to children’s products and
children’s product materials are generally similar to those of toys. This document, whose scope covers
various materials, is therefore applicable to both toys and children’s products.
Annex A and Annex E are normative, whereas Annex B, Annex C, Annex D, Annex F and Annex G are for
information only. However, they are crucial and helpful for the correct interpretation of this document.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 8124-6:2018(E)
Safety of toys —
Part 6:
Certain phthalate esters in toys and children's products
WARNING — Persons using this document should be familiar with normal laboratory practice.
This document does not purport to address all of the safety problems, if any, associated with its
use. It is the responsibility of the user to establish appropriate safety and health practices.
IMPORTANT — It is absolutely essential that tests conducted in accordance with this document
be carried out by suitably trained staff.
1 Scope
This document specifies a method for the determination of di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP), di-n-butyl
phthalate (DBP), benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP), bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate
(DNOP), di-iso-nonylphthalate (DINP) and di-iso-decyl phthalate (DIDP) (as specified in Annex A) in
toys and children’s products.
This document is applicable to toys and children’s products which are made of plastics, textiles, coatings
and liquids. This document has been validated for polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics, polyurethane (PU)
plastics and some representative paint coatings (see Annex B). It might also be applicable to other
phthalate esters and other product materials provided that adequate validation is demonstrated.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 2758, Paper — Determination of bursting strength
ISO 8124-1:2018, Safety of toys — Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https: //www .iso .org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http: //www .electropedia .org/
3.1
laboratory sample
toy or children’s product in the form in which it is marketed or intended to be marketed
3.2
base material
material upon which coatings may be formed or deposited
[SOURCE: ISO 8124-3:2010, 3.1]
3.3
coating
all layers of material formed or deposited on the base material of toys or children’s products, including
paints, varnishes, lacquers, inks, polymers or other substances of a similar nature, whether they contain
metallic particles or not, no matter how they have been applied to the toy or children’s product and
which can be removed by scraping with a sharp blade
[SOURCE: ISO 8124-3:2010, 3.2, modified — ‘toy’ has been replaced with ‘toy or children’s product’]
3.4
scraping
mechanical process for removal of coatings down to the base material
[SOURCE: ISO 8124-3:2010, 3.6]
3.5
test portion
portion of homogeneous material taken from a corresponding part of the laboratory sample for analysis
3.6
composite test portion
mixed test portion formed by physically mixing several test portions of similar materials
Note 1 to entry: This term excludes the compositing of dissimilar materials; for example, compositing textiles
and paint coatings are not permitted.
3.7
composite test
test performed on the composite test portion
3.8
limit of quantification
LOQ
lowest amount of the analyte in the sample that can be quantitatively determined with defined precision
under the stated experimental conditions
3.9
method blank
aliquot of solvents that is treated exactly as a sample, including exposure to glassware, apparatus and
conditions used for a particular test, but with no added sample
Note 1 to entry: Method blank data are used to assess contamination from the laboratory environment.
4 Principle
The test portion of a toy or children’s product is extracted through a Soxhlet extractor, solvent extractor
(see Annex C) or ultrasonic bath with dichloromethane. Phthalate esters in the extract are determined
qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
5 Reagents
5.1 Dichloromethane, CAS No. 75-09-2, analytical grade or higher, free of phthalate esters.
5.2 Phthalate reference substances, DIBP, DBP, BBP, DEHP, DNOP, DINP and DIDP (as specified in
Annex A), minimum of 95 % purity.
5.3 Stock solution, 100 mg/l of DIBP, DBP, BBP, DEHP, DNOP each, and 500 mg/l of DINP, DIDP each in
dichloromethane (5.1).
2 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

5.4 External standard (ES) calibration solutions
A series of calibration standard solutions (of at least five equidistant calibrations in the range of 0,4 mg/l
to 10 mg/l for DIBP, DBP, BBP, DEHP and DNOP, 2 mg/l to 50 mg/l for DINP and DIDP) is prepared by
transferring 0,2 ml to 5 ml of the stock solution (5.3) to a 50 ml volumetric flask and making up to the
mark with dichloromethane.
Calibration standard solutions should be properly stored at 4 °C to prevent change of concentration. It
is recommended that the solution be prepared at least monthly.
5.5 Internal standard (IS) calibration solutions
5.5.1 Internal reference substances
Benzyl benzoate (BB, CAS No. 120-51-4) or di-n-amyl phthalate (DAP, CAS No. 131-18-0) (also known as
di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPP)), minimum of 95 % purity.
The internal reference substances should not be present in the test portion matrix. Other compounds,
such as isotopically labelled phthalates, can be used as alternative internal reference substances.
5.5.2 Internal stock solution
250 mg/l of BB, DAP or others, in dichloromethane.
IS solutions should be properly stored at 4 °C to prevent change of concentration. It is recommended
that these solutions be prepared at least every three months.
5.5.3 Internal standard calibration solutions
A series of calibration standard solutions (of at least five equidistant calibrations in the range of 0,4 mg/l
to 10 mg/l for DIBP, DBP, BBP, DEHP and DNOP, 2 mg/l to 50 mg/l for DINP and DIDP) is prepared by
transferring 0,2 ml to 5 ml of the stock solution (5.3) to a 50 ml volumetric flask and adding 2 ml of the
IS stock solution (5.5.2) before making up to the mark with dichloromethane. Each of the calibration
standards contains 10 mg/l IS.
IS calibration solutions should be properly stored at 4 °C to prevent change of concentration. It is
recommended that these solutions be prepared at least monthly.
6 Apparatus
Phthalate esters are common contaminants which can affect the test result even at a low level of
concentration. In order to prevent interference and cross-contamination, any type of plastic apparatus
that could affect the analysis should be avoided, and glassware and equipment should be scrupulously
cleaned before use.
6.1 Normal laboratory glassware.
6.2 Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), with a capillary column coupled to a mass
spectrometric detector (electron ionization, EI) used for the analysis. See 8.4.1.
6.3 Soxhlet extractor, see Figure C.1.
6.4 Solvent extractor, see Figure C.2.
6.5 Extraction thimble, made of cellulose.
6.6 Cotton wool, for extraction thimble.
6.7 Analytical balance, capable of measuring to an accuracy of 0,001 g.
6.8 Concentration apparatus, for example, a rotary evaporator.
6.9 Solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge, 1 000 mg silica gel/6 ml tubes, or equivalent.
6.10 Volumetric flasks, of 5 ml, 10 ml, 25 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml nominal capacity.
6.11 Pipettes, of 0,5 ml, 1 ml, 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml nominal capacity.
6.12 Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filter, of pore size 0,45 μm.
6.13 Ultrasonic bath, thermostatically controlled internally or externally, with the effective ultrasonic
2 2
power intensity ranging from 0,25 W/cm to 2,0 W/cm . The performance check of the ultrasonic bath is
performed as specified in Annex E.
EXAMPLE An ultrasonic bath with a total power consumption of 1 200 W, including 200 W of effective
ultrasonic power and 1 000 W of heating power, with an internal bath base area of 400 cm , will have an effective
2 2
ultrasonic power intensity of 0,50 W/cm (=200 W/400 cm ).
6.14 Ultrasonic basket, usually supplied together with the ultrasonic bath. When hung on the ultrasonic
bath, its lowest level is approximately 3 cm to 5 cm above the bottom of the bath.
6.15 Airtight glass reaction vessel, pressure resistant to at least 0,2 MPa and with a gross volume of
2 to 10 times the volume of dichloromethane. The reaction vessel should be tightly closed to prevent the
evaporation of dichloromethane during ultrasonic extraction.
6.16 Centrifuge, capable of centrifuging at (5 000 ± 500) g.
7 Selection of test portion
For materials in solid form, use a scalpel or other appropriate cutting instrument to cut a
representative portion from the laboratory sample into small pieces. For coatings, remove each different
coating from the laboratory sample by scraping. Extra care shall be taken to minimize the inclusion of
the base material. Each piece shall, in the uncompressed condition, have no dimension greater than
5 mm and be mixed uniformly.
For materials in liquid form, use appropriate apparatus, such as a pipette or syringe, to transfer
a representative portion from the laboratory sample. Extra care shall be taken to minimize cross
contamination.
A test portion of less than 10 mg from a single laboratory sample shall not be tested.
The requirement does not preclude the taking of reference portions from toy or children’s product
materials in a different form, provided that they are representative of the relevant material specified
above and the substrate upon which they are deposited.
A composite test can be used for screening. See Annex D.
4 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

8 Procedure
8.1 Sample weighing
Weigh, to the nearest 1 mg, approximately 1 g of the test portion into an extraction thimble (6.5) or
reaction vessel (6.15). If 1 g test portion cannot be obtained from a single laboratory sample, sample as
much as possible from more than one laboratory sample, but 0,1 g should be a minimum test portion.
8.2 Extraction
8.2.1 Options for extraction method
Three options for extraction procedures, Method A (8.2.2), Method B (8.2.3) and Method C (8.2.4), are
described. Laboratories can select the most suitable one at their discretion.
8.2.2 Method A
Place the thimble with test portion into a 250-ml Soxhlet extractor (6.3). In order to prevent the sample
from floating, add cotton wool (6.6) to the top of the thimble.
Add 120 ml of dichloromethane (5.1) into the 250-ml flask. Reflux for 6 h with no less than four reflux
cycles per hour.
The volume of the dichloromethane may be adjusted according to the Soxhlet extractor.
After cooling, reduce the volume of the dichloromethane to about 10 ml using a suitable concentration
apparatus (6.8), taking care to avoid reduction to dryness.
When using a rotary evaporator, it is recommended that the temperature of the water bath is in the
range of 40 °C to 50 °C, with a constant pressure of between 30 kPa to 45 kPa.
During the refluxing and concentration steps, careful temperature control is necessary in order to
avoid loss of phthalate esters.
8.2.3 Method B
Place the thimble with test portion into the solvent extractor (6.4). In order to prevent the sample from
floating, add cotton wool (6.6) to the top of the thimble.
Add 80 ml of dichloromethane (5.1) into the receiver. Immerse for 1,5 h at about 80 °C and reflux for
1,5 h. Finally, concentrate the dichloromethane extract to about 10 ml.
The volume of the dichloromethane may be adjusted according to the solvent extractor.
During the refluxing and concentration steps, careful temperature control is necessary in order to
avoid loss of phthalate esters.
8.2.4 Method C
8.2.4.1 For material in solid form
Add 25 ml of dichloromethane to the airtight glass reaction vessel (6.15). Place the vessel in an
ultrasonic bath with an initial temperature of 60 °C for 60 min.
NOTE If the material does not dissolve or swell in dichloromethane, method A (8.2.2) or method B (8.2.3)
might be preferable.
The volume of the final solution may be adjusted according to the mass of tested specimen. Care should
be taken not to affect the LOQ (10.1).
8.2.4.2 For material in liquid form
Add 15 ml of dichloromethane to an airtight glass reaction vessel (6.15). Place the vessel in an ultrasonic
bath with an initial temperature of 60 °C for 60 min.
8.3 Sample solution for analysis
8.3.1 General
After cooling to room temperature, filter the solution, which is obtained after the test portion has been
treated according to the procedure as specified in 8.2.2, 8.2.3 or 8.2.4, where appropriate, with PTFE
membrane filter (6.12) for GC-MS (6.2) analysis.
Before the filtering procedure, when the extract exhibits turbidity, centrifuge at up to 5 000 g
(6.16). If necessary, purify the solution with a pretreated SPE cartridge (6.9), which is pretreated
with approximately 10 ml of dichloromethane before purification and discard the effluent, rinse the
cartridge with 3 ml of dichloromethane three times and collect the eluate.
Two options for quantification procedures, ES calibration (8.3.2) and IS calibration (8.3.3), are described
as follows. Laboratories can select the most suitable one at their discretion.
8.3.2 Quantification by external standard (ES) calibration
8.3.2.1 Method A and Method B
Transfer the extract or the eluate into a 25-ml volumetric flask and make up to the mark with
dichloromethane for GC-MS analysis.
The volume of the final solution may be adjusted according to the mass of tested specimen. Care should
be taken not to affect the LOQ (10.1).
8.3.2.2 Method C
8.3.2.2.1 Material in solid form
Use the extract or the eluate for GC-MS analysis.
8.3.2.2.2 Material in liquid form
Transfer the extract or the eluate into a 25-ml volumetric flask and make up to the mark with
dichloromethane for GC-MS analysis.
The volume of the final solution may be adjusted according to the mass of tested specimen. Care should
be taken not to affect the LOQ (10.1).
8.3.3 Quantification by IS calibration
For method A or method B, transfer the extract or the eluate and 1 ml of the IS stock solution (5.5.2) into
a 25-ml volumetric flask and make up to the mark with dichloromethane. The final solution contains
10 mg/l of IS.
The volume of both IS solution and the final solution may be adjusted according to the test specimen
mass and concentration. The concentration of IS in the final test solution should be the same as that of
standard calibration solutions (5.5.3).
6 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

8.4 Determination
8.4.1 GC-MS conditions
Due to the variation of instruments in different laboratories, no universally applicable instructions can
be provided for chromatographic analysis. The following general GC-MS operating conditions have been
found suitable, and an example of operating conditions is given in Annex F.
a) Column: capillary column, non-polar (phenylarylene polymer equivalent to 5 % phenylmethyl
polysiloxane) or equivalent.
b) Oven temperature program.
c) Carrier gas: helium or hydrogen, constant flow.
d) Injector system: split or splitless.
e) Ionization method: electron ionization (EI), 70 eV.
f) Determination: identification by full scan mode, quantification by selected ion monitoring (SIM)
mode simultaneously.
8.4.2 Identification
Identify the compound by matching both retention times and relative intensities of the diagnostic ions
of test solution and standard solution.
The target compound is considered to be identified in the test solution if the following criteria are
fulfilled:
a) the relative retention time of the analyte corresponds to that of the calibration solution at a
tolerance of ± 0,5 %;
b) the diagnostic ions (see Table F.1) are present at the substance-specific retention time;
c) the relative intensities of the diagnostic ions (refer to Table F.1) in full scan, expressed as a
percentage of the intensity of the most intense ion, shall correspond to those of the calibration
standard at comparable concentrations, measured under the same conditions, within the tolerances
in Table 1.
NOTE Some isomers of DINP or DIDP can interfere with the identification of DINP or DIDP. For example,
dipropylheptyl phthalate (DPHP, CAS No. 53306–54–0) is one of the isomers of DIDP. It is theoretically difficult
to separate DPHP from DIDP, but they can be recognized through the feature of peak, retention time and
abundance ratio.
Table 1 — Maximum permitted tolerances for relative ion intensities using a range of mass
spectrometric techniques
Relative intensity Maximum permitted tolerances
(% of base peak) (relative intensity)
> 50 % ±10 %
20 % to 50 % ±15 %
10 % to 20 % ±20 %
≤ 10 % ±50 %
8.4.3 Calibration
8.4.3.1 General
Two optional calibration methods, ES (8.4.3.2) and IS (8.4.3.3), are described in the following. Either
ES or IS can be used for calibration. Laboratories can choose the most suitable calibration method
according to their best practice (see Annex G).
A calibration curve shall be established for either method. A minimum of five equidistant calibration
standard solutions (5.4 or 5.5.3) shall be prepared. Quantification is based on the measurement of the
peak area. The correlation coefficient, (r), of each calibration curve shall be at least 0,995.
The isomers of DINP and DIDP shall be quantified using baseline integration.
DINP and DIDP are available as different isomeric mixtures under different CAS numbers. Since the
chromatogram of the GC-MS is different for each mixture, the laboratory should choose the reference
substance that matches as closely as possible the isomeric ratio to the phthalates in the test portion and
report the CAS No. of the reference material used in accordance with Clause 12 f).
NOTE Due to the existence of inseparable isomers, the peaks of DNOP, DINP and DIDP are partially
overlapped. The interference of this can be minimized effectively when m/z = 279 (DNOP), m/z = 293 (DINP) and
m/z = 307 (DIDP) are selected as quantification ions, respectively.
8.4.3.2 External standard (ES) calibration
Integrate the peak areas of the target quantification ions (see Table F.1) in the chromatogram by ES
calibration.
To establish the calibration curve, the response A is plotted against the concentration C in accordance
with Formula (1):
Aa=×()Cb+ (1)
where
A is the peak area or sum of peak areas of the individual phthalate in the calibration solution;
a is the slope of the calibration curve;
C is the concentration of the individual phthalate in the calibration solution in mg/l;
b is the ordinate intercept of the calibration curve.
8.4.3.3 Internal standard (IS) calibration
Integrate the peak areas of the target quantification ions (see Table F.1) in the chromatograph by IS
calibration.
8 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

To establish the calibration curve, the response A/A is plotted against the concentration ratio C/C in
IS IS
accordance with Formula (2):
A C
=×()a +b (2)
A C
IS IS
where
A is the peak area or sum of peak areas of the individual phthalate in the calibration solution;
A is the peak area of the IS in the calibration solution;
IS
a is the slope of the calibration curve;
C is the concentration of the individual phthalate in the calibration solution in mg/l;
C is the concentration of the IS in the calibration solution in mg/l;
IS
b is the ordinate intercept of the calibration curve.
NOTE It is common practice to set the IS concentration (C ) to 1 mg/l for the IS methods when the amount
IS
and concentration of IS added to the test portion and calibrants prior to injection are the same.
9 Calculation
9.1 External standard (ES) calculation
Calculate the mass fraction of the individual phthalate in the test portion by using Formula (3) after
solving Formula (1):
()Ab−
V 1
w =× ××D (3)
s
a m 10000
where
w is the concentration of the individual phthalate found in the test portion, in %;
S
A is the peak area or sum of peak areas of the individual phthalate in the test solution;
b is the ordinate intercept of the calibration curve, obtained from Formula (1);
a is the slope of the calibration curve, obtained from Formula (1);
V is the volume of the final solution, in ml;
m is the mass of the test portion, in g;
D is the dilution factor.
The result shall be expressed in as a mass percentage (%) and reported to three significant figures.
The response value of the tested phthalate in the calibration solution and test solution should be within
the instrument detection linear range. If necessary, further diluted solution with dichloromethane
should be prepared.
9.2 Internal standard (IS) calculation
Calculate the mass fraction of the individual phthalate in the test portion by using Formula (4) after
solving Formula (2):
A C V 1
IS
w =−()b ×× ××D (4)
s 2
A a m 10000
IS 2
where
w is the concentration of the individual phthalate found in the test portion, in %;
S
A is the peak area or sum of peak areas of the individual phthalate in the test solution;
A is the peak area of the IS in the test solution;
IS
b is the ordinate intercept of the calibration curve, obtained from Formula (2);
C is the concentration of the IS in the calibration solution, in mg/l;
IS
a is the slope of the calibration curve, obtained from Formula (2);
V is the volume of the final solution, in ml;
m is the mass of the test portion, in g;
D is the dilution factor.
The result shall be expressed in a mass percentage (%) and reported to three significant figures.
The response value of the tested phthalate in the calibration solution and test solution should be within
the instrument detection linear range. If necessary, further diluted solution with dichloromethane
should be prepared.
10 Quality control
10.1 Limit of quantification (LOQ)
LOQ for DIBP, DBP, BBP, DEHP, DNOP: 0,001 %.
LOQ for DINP, DIDP: 0,005 %.
10.2 Method blank
A method blank (3.9) shall be prepared for each batch of samples by following the steps in Clause 8 and
Clause 9 but without using a sample. The method blank can be used to assess the contamination in the
test process, which should be less than the LOQ (10.1).
10.3 Recovery
One spiked blank per batch shall be prepared by adding 1 ml of stock solution (5.3) in the method blank
then treating it in the same way as described in Clause 8 and Clause 9. The recovery of each phthalate
should be 80 % to 120 % of the expected value.
10.4 Calibration check
A mid-point calibration check solution without extraction should be re-injected after every 20 samples
and at the end of the run to demonstrate the stability of the GC-MS. The deviation of each phthalate
should be within 15 % of the expected value.
10 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

11 Precision
The precision of this document is shown in Annex B.
12 Test report
The test report shall contain at least the following information:
a) a reference to this document (i.e. ISO 8124-6);
b) a complete identification of the sample;
c) a reference to the extraction procedure used;
d) a reference to the calculation method used (ES or IS);
e) the results of the individual quantitative phthalate analysis, expressed as a mass percentage (%);
f) the CAS No. of the used DINP or DIDP reference substance given in Table A.1;
g) any deviations from the procedure specified;
h) any unusual features observed during the test;
i) the date of the test.
Annex A
(normative)
Phthalate esters
Table A.1 — Phthalate esters
a
No. Phthalate esters (initialism) CAS No. Structure formula Molecular formula
1 Di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP) 84–69–5 C H O
16 22 4
2 Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) 84–74–2 C H O
16 22 4
3 Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) 85–68–7 C H O
19 20 4
4 Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) 117–81–7 C H O
24 38 4
5 Di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) 117–84–0 C H O
24 38 4
b
28553–12–0
6 Di-iso-nonyl phthalate (DINP) C H O
26 42 4
c
68515–48–0
d
26761–40–0
7 Di-iso-decyl phthalate (DIDP) C H O
28 46 4
e
68515–49–1
a
The structure formulae of DINP and DIDP are only one of their isomeric compounds.
b
CAS No. 28553–12–0 is a mixture of esters of o-phthalic acid with C9 alkyl alcohols.
c
CAS No. 68515–48–0 is a mixture of esters of o-phthalic acid with C8-C10 (C9 rich) alkyl alcohols.
d
CAS No. 26761–40–0 is a mixture of esters of o-phthalic acid with C10 alkyl alcohols.
e
CAS No. 68515–49–1 is a mixture of esters of o-phthalic acid with C9-C11 (C10 rich) alkyl alcohols.
12 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

Annex B
(informative)
Precision of the method
Four inter-laboratory collaborative trial tests were organized with many laboratories participating in
the determination of phthalate esters in PVC plastic, polyurethane (PU) plastic, acrylonitrile-butadiene-
styrene (ABS) copolymers, polyethylene (PE) plastic and coatings with base resin of PVC, polyacrylic
acid (PAA) and nitrocellulose(NC) from 2012 to 2016. Method A, Method B and Method C were used for
the tests. The results are shown in Tables B.1 to B.7.
Table B.1 — Summary of the results of the inter-laboratory trial test on samples 1 and 2
PVC plastic (sample 1) PVC plastic (sample 2)
Phthalate Method l o M CV r CV R l o M CV R
r R R
% mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg
A — — — — — — — 7 22,2 2 561 6,5 469
DIBP B — — — — — — — 4 0 2 319 15,0 975
C — — — — — — — 11 21,4 2 333 9,9 648
A 94 6,0 2 442 2,9 201 8,5 579 8 11,1 1 127 12,7 402
DBP B 7 0 2 451 2,5 173 3,7 253 4 0 1 135 11,6 369
C — — — — — — — 11 21,4 1 045 7,5 219
A 93 7,0 2 024 3,2 179 8,4 477 8 11,1 1 000 13,6 382
BBP B 7 0 2 024 4,1 233 7,4 421 4 0 1 059 12,7 377
C — — — — — — — 12 14,3 988 13,6 376
A 96 4,0 3 737 2,9 301 8,3 867 7 22,2 2 254 5,8 366
DEHP B 7 0 3 888 1,9 203 6,8 744 4 0 2 010 4,4 246
C — — — — — — — 14 0 2 100 16,4 966
A 57 1,7 2 153 3,9 233 14,5 877 9 0 1 336 16,3 610
DNOP B 5 0 2 286 5,0 317 11,0 704 4 0 1 348 12,8 483
C — — — — — — — 14 0 1 411 16,5 650
A 53 8,6 3 100 2,9 256 20,6 1 784 8 11,1 1 152 18,3 592
DINP B 5 0 3 126 6,1 536 24,7 2 165 4 0 1 131 14,2 449
C — — — — — — — 12 14,3 1 190 19,7 657
A 51 12,1 2 244 3,6 224 16,0 1 007 8 11,1 2 245 13,5 850
DIDP B 5 0 2 374 4,9 325 20,1 1 333 4 0 2 065 5,3 305
C — — — — — — — 12 14,3 2 207 13,1 807
Key
l: Number of laboratories after outlier rejection
o: Percentage of outliers
M: Median value of the results
CV : Coefficient of variation of repeatability
r
r: Repeatability, r = 2,8 × S
r
CV : Coefficient of variation of reproducibility
R
R: Reproducibility, R = 2,8 × S
R
Table B.2 — Summary of the results of the inter-laboratory trial test on samples 3 and 4
PU plastic (sample 3) PU plastic (sample 4)
Phthalate Method l o M CV r CV R l o M CV r CV R
r R r R
% mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg
DBP A 11 8,3 724 6,3 129 10,7 216 12 0 2 839 3,7 297 9,8 777
BBP A 12 0 923 5,2 135 10,8 279 12 0 4 586 4,5 581 7,1 911
DEHP A 11 8,3 968 6,2 169 9,6 259 12 0 4 023 3,6 408 11,6 1 308
DNOP A 12 0 869 4,5 109 14,3 348 12 0 3 717 2,4 246 14,1 1 465
DINP A 11 8,3 1 039 7,5 219 16,0 464 11 8,3 3 760 5,5 578 19,4 2 040
DIDP A 12 0 1 161 7,4 240 10,5 340 12 0 4 715 5,1 678 21,3 2 813
NOTE  For definitions of symbols, see Table B.1.
Table B.3 — Summary of the results of the inter-laboratory trial test on samples 5 and 6
PU plastic (sample 5) PU plastic (sample 6)
Phthalate Method l o M CV r CV R l o M CV R
r R R
% mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg
A — — — — — — — 9 0 650 8,4 153
DBP B — — — — — — — 4 0 720 12,2 246
C — — — — — — — 14 0 745 25,1 524
A — — — — — — — 9 0 642 13,1 235
BBP B — — — — — — — 4 0 663 9,5 177
C — — — — — — — 12 14,3 664 14,0 260
A 7 12,5 171 6,5 31 11,8 56 9 0 724 15,0 305
DEHP B — — — — — — — 4 0 726 12,7 258
C — — — — — — — 12 14,3 746 13,3 277
A — — — — — — — 9 0 697 17,4 340
DNOP B — — — — — — — 4 0 700 12,4 243
C — — — — — — — 13 7,1 731 14,6 298
A 7 12,5 375 6,5 68 14,1 149 9 0 698 19,9 389
DINP B — — — — — — — 4 0 720 14,7 296
C — — — — — — — 13 7,1 793 18,3 406
A — — — — — — — 9 0 653 23,8 435
DIDP B — — — — — — — 4 0 712 11,8 236
C — — — — — — — 14 0 730 16,9 346
NOTE  For definitions of symbols, see Table B.1.
Table B.4 — Summary of the results of the inter-laboratory trial test on samples 7 and 8
ABS plastic (sample 7) PE plastic (sample 8)
Phthalate Method l o M CV R l o M CV R
R R
% mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg
A 9 0 1 191 15,3 511 — — — — —
DIBP B 4 0 1 432 21,9 880 — — — — —
C 12 14,3 1 254 11,9 416 — — — — —
A 9 0 1 195 14,1 471 — — — — —
DBP B 4 0 1 501 23,0 966 — — — — —
C 14 0 1 370 23,1 885 — — — — —
NOTE  For definitions of symbols, see Table B.1.
14 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

Table B.4 (continued)
ABS plastic (sample 7) PE plastic (sample 8)
Phthalate Method l o M CV R l o M CV R
R R
% mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg
A 9 0 1 258 12,9 454 — — — — —
BBP B 4 0 1 433 15,2 610 — — — — —
C 14 0 1 361 14,0 534 — — — — —
A 9 0 1 454 16,2 660 9 0 640 23,5 422
DEHP B 4 0 1 582 19,2 852 4 0 535 20,4 306
C 14 0 1 511 14,9 632 14 0 744 29,6 616
A 9 0 1 328 16,5 614 — — — — —
DNOP B 4 0 1 466 10,9 446 — — — — —
C 14 0 1 452 17,6 717 — — — — —
A 9 0 1 197 21,1 708 — — — — —
DINP B 4 0 1 205 10,5 355 — — — — —
C 13 7,1 1 291 17,7 640 — — — — —
A 9 0 980 22,6 621 — — — — —
DIDP B 4 0 1 094 3,0 93 — — — — —
C 14 0 1 054 16,6 491 — — — — —
NOTE  For definitions of symbols, see Table B.1.
Table B.5 — Summary of the results of the inter-laboratory trial test on samples 9 and 10
PVC coating (sample 9) PVC coating (sample 10)
Phtha- Meth- l o M CV r CV R l o M CV r CV R
r R r R
late od
mg/
% mg/kg % mg/kg % % mg/kg % mg/kg % mg/kg
kg
DBP A 11 8,3 1 014 5,6 159 10,8 306 12 0 10 084 2,5 703 9,9 2 781
BBP A 11 8,3 999 4,8 134 6,6 185 12 0 10 822 3,4 1 026 9,9 2 999
DEHP A 11 8,3 1 012 3,7 105 10,1 286 12 0 10 754 4,2 1 250 9,2 2 778
DNOP A 11 8,3 897 5,5 137 10,4 261 11 8,3 10 660 6,4 1 925 9,5 2 836
DINP A 11 8,3 1
...