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Environmental risk limits (ERLs) are derived for di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). The ERLs are derived using data on (eco)toxicology and environmental chemistry. Endpoints used are survival, growth, and reproduction. The resulting ERLs in water are 10 and 0.19 μg/L for DBP and DEHP, respectively; in fresh soil and sediment with 10% organic matter the derived ERLs are respectively 0.7 and 1 mg/kg fresh wt. In The Netherlands, measured concentrations of DBP are seldom above the ERLs, while reported concentrations for DEHP are 3 to 20 times higher than the ERL. As phthalates as a group are commonly mentioned as chemicals with possible endocrine disruptive effects, in vivo and in vitro tests for a series of phthalates with endpoints related to endocrine disruption are reviewed. In vitro and in vivo tests give a similar distinction between phthalates that can or cannot act as …