Abstract: In order to determine the phthalates in water-based emulsion adhesives for tobacco, the adhesives were extracted with n-hexane containing internal standard by ultrasonic instruments.Seven phthalates in 144 waterbased emulsion adhesive samples, including dimethyl phthalate (DMP),diethyl phthalate (DEP),diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP),dibutyl phthalate (DBP),di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP),dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP),were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.The results showed that:1) 30 minutes were preferable duration for extraction by adding 2 mL water into the sample; 2) the regression coefficients of the 7 phthalates were over 0.996 within the range of their calibration; 3) the recoveries (the standard spiked at low,middle and high concentration levels) ranged from 85% to 111%,and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method was below 5%; 4) DIBP and DBP are the two phthalate plasticizers among the water-based adhesives most commonly used in the cigarette industry.