With the recalls last year of popular toys such as Thomas the Train and Easy Bake ovens, parents have become more concerned about the safety of toys and products their children may be exposed to. The issue of lead in toys is an important concern for parents, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has been working to address the problem.

It would be reassuring for parents if the stories they see almost daily in the news were raising legitimate fears. However, that could not be further from the truth. Unfortunately, political agendas have capitalized on the legitimate problem of lead to further include bans on substances that have been proven safe.

One example is the chemical substance called phthalates, used as a plastic softener. Di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) is the most commonly used plasticizer in children’s toys. DINP has a 50-year record of use coupled with continued testing by numerous government agencies including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Institute for Health, Centers for Disease Control and the National Toxicology program. All the agencies conclusions are the same: DINP is safe for use.

A blue ribbon panel of scientists was convened and chaired by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop that reviewed the scientific literature on phthalate exposure in 1999. “The panel’s findings confirm what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have been saying about these products all along. There is no scientific evidence that they are harmful to children or adults,” Koop concluded.

DINP also underwent a 10-year comprehensive risk assessment by the European Chemicals Bureau, which concluded that children are not at risk from the use of DINP in toys - including those which can be put in the mouth. The EU Parliament ignored this advice and bowed to political pressure and banned the substance anyway.

In the United States, this push has come from environmental groups that have waged a campaign of fear against phthalates. The states of California, Vermont and Washington have enacted bans against phthalates based on fear not on sound science. The House and Senate are currently considering legislation against phthalates. Major toy distributors such as Target and Toys “R” Us have voluntarily stated plans to remove phthalates from their products as well.

The problem with this approach is that it does not take into account what manufacturers are going to use to replace phthalates. Parents should be very concerned about this aspect and ask about the safety of proposed alternatives. There is not one alternative with the tenured safety record of DINP. None of the known or proposed alternatives has been tested by a U.S. government agency. Replacing a known, safe substance with a less tested and potentially more dangerous substance exposes children to serious risks.

As Dr. David Cadogan, Director of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates has stated, “Banning a substance (DINP) which has been scientifically risk assessed as safe, thereby forcing manufacturers to use alternatives about which far less is known, does nothing to protect the health of children.”

There is nothing wrong with testing the products our children come into contact with to eliminate potential health risks. However, there is no reason to ban a product that has been proven safe again and again. Parents deserve to know that their government’s primary concern is the safety of children, not pandering to environmental groups.

Average user rating