Bisphenol A and Phthalates in Toys to be banned
By Ina Woolcott
The toxic chemicals bisphenol A and phthalates are used to harden or soften plastic products and can pass out of the plastic in baby toys and products every time they are put in a childs mouth, potentially being the cause/trigger of severe health problems.
A recent study conducted by Harvard researchers which appeared in The Lancet found that hundreds and possibly thousands of common chemicals are causing widespread brain disorders in children.
Hundreds of studies on the chemicals have linked them to malfunctions in children's developing organs and reproductive systems, as well as prostate cancer, breast cancer, low sperm counts, malformed sexual organs and disruption of the endocrine system.
A Japanese study indicated that babies who put products containing bisphenol A into their mouths can take in significant levels of the chemical from the plastic.
A separate study carried out by Tufts University found that pregnant rats exposed to a mere fraction of the level of bisphenol A considered "safe" by the EPA for a baby to consume, changed the rats' mammary tissues that are associated with breast cancer.
The majority of the studies from recent years that claimed the chemicals to be safe were funded by chemical corporations
Due to the fact that manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients contained in toys, it can be difficult for parents to choose products that do not contain bisphenol A or phthalates.
However, Mary Brine the founder of Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS), recommends parents purchase toys and products made without plastics, such as glass baby bottles and wooden toys.
As of Dec 2006 San Francisco began enforcing a ban on the sale, distribution and manufacture of baby products that contain any level of the toxic chemical bisphenol A or certain levels of phthalates. This law is modelled after a ban that went into effect in the European Union earlier in 2006, after rising concerns over the health consequences of the build-up of industrial chemicals in the human body came to light.
A large number of San Francisco companies that manufacture and sell baby products from teething rings and dolls to waterproof books said they would comply with the ban, although finding it unnecessary, claiming their products only contain ‘safe’ levels of the toxic, dangerous chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says its age-old guidelines on ‘safe’ human exposure to the chemicals DO NOT consider the hundreds of recent studies that link the chemicals with serious health disorders.
Representatives from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) which is in charge of toy safety, say no plans are in place to put new restrictions on the chemicals that take into consideration the latest research.
The manufactures of the chemicals bisphenol A and phthalates say the FDA and CPSC are right not to reassess safety levels, claiming that low levels of exposure are of no concern to consumers.
EDITORS COMMENT- OF COURSE the manufacturers of these toxic chemicals will be the first to say they are safe. It is in THEIR best interest to. They don’t want to lose out on producing an annual, worldwide amount of 6 billion pounds of the stuff! Really they could plough some money into a natural, safe alternative and be one of the first to say ‘we did it!’ I’m sure their sales would increase even more then.
