Dibutyl phthalate(DBP)和dioctyl phthalate(DOP)為兩種應用廣泛的phthalate ester(PAE)。DBP及DOP已被大量應用於食品工業、 紡織工業、汽車工業及化妝品業作塑膠可塑劑。由於工業產品不當的處理或棄置以及這類可塑劑的低安定性，使得DBP和DOP很容易滲漏出，進而造成環壇的污染。
本研究以氣相層析法分析數種市售食品及飲用水中DBP及DOP之含量。結果顯示DOP出現在大部分的檢測樣品中，而DBP僅在地下水中被檢測出。食物及飲用水中DBP及DOP的殘留說明了PAE的滲漏已污染了土壤、水源以及食物。由於PAE對人體健康有極大的威脅，因此PAE的污染值得詳加探討以防止其惡化。

The concentration of dibutyl phthalate and dioctyl phthalate in Taiwan's drinking water and several marketed foods were analyzed. The samples examined included 5 water sources, 3 vegetables, 4 fish and 3 meat products. While, the residue of dibutyl phthalate was found only in underground water samples, the residue of dioctyl phthalate was found in most tested food samples. The dioctyl phthalate content of fish samples was higher than that of vegetables followed by meat products. The results show that samples of Taiwan drinking water and food are contaminated with dioctyl phthalate and/or dibutyl phthalate. The contamination pathway may result from the disposal of the materials containing dibutyl phthalate and/or dioctyl phthalate leaching into soil and ground water and may reflect a potentially larger scale of environmental contamination.