Environmental Health News

The Assembly Health Committee passed AB 1108 The Toxic Toys bill (Ma), a bill that would ban the use of six phthalates, toxic chemicals that can cause reproductive and genital defects, from products intended for kids under the age of three.

“It is about time the government started to protect kids from dangerous chemicals,” said Dan Jacobson, legislative director for Environment California. “We need to ban chemicals that are dangerous for our kids.”

As children’s minds and bodies go through the delicate processes of growing and developing, they are particularly vulnerable to chemicals, such as phthalates, that could affect proper development. 

Phthalates are chemicals added to PVC plastic to make it soft and flexible.  Among many other things, they are used in soft plastic toys and other baby products, such as teethers, bath books, and rubber ducks.  Because children have a natural tendency to suck on objects as a way of exploring the world around them, phthalates can leach out of these products and enter their bodies.

Phthalates have been shown to have negative effects on human health:

• Phthalates interfere with the natural functioning of the hormone system.
• Phthalates cause reproductive and genital defects.
• Exposure is linked to premature birth and early onset of puberty.
• Phthalates may lower sperm count and are associated with the risk factors for testicular cancer.

U.S. EPA studies show the cumulative impact of different phthalates leads to an exponential increase in associated harm.  According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), levels of phthalates found in humans are higher than levels shown to cause adverse health effects.  The data also show phthalate levels are highest in children.  CDC scientists concluded that “[f]rom a public health perspective, these data provide evidence that phthalate exposure is both higher and more common than previously suspected.”

Four phthalates are listed on California’s Proposition 65 list as reproductive toxins.  Unfortunately, Proposition 65 only requires warnings from retailers—not labels for consumers.  No state agency has the authority to regulate phthalates in consumer products.

The European Union (EU) and at least 14 countries already have banned or are phasing out phthalates to protect children’s health.  AB 1108 would implement the existing EU ban in California.

According to a survey of the leading manufacturers of toys and baby products in the U.S., several companies have stopped using phthalates over the last few years, including Brio, Chicco, Evenflo, First Years, Gerber and Safety 1st.  Unfortunately, there are still many products on the market that contain phthalates because there is no law requiring the phase-out of these chemicals.