VitalChild - Phthalates: Dangerous Toys

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Are Phthalates dangerous in Toys?
Source: safetoys.com by Ronni Robinson with additional reporting by Laurence Liss   Date: 04/01/08

When one thinks of how toys can be dangerous, the recent toy recalls due to lead-based paint come to mind. But toy safety is a far larger issue than lead alone. Lately, concerned parent groups have been focusing attention on certain chemicals used to make toys and other child-related products.
The chemicals are called phthalates (pronounced thal-ates). Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds mainly used to add flexibility and resilience to many consumer products. There are at least 24 different types of phthalates. They are chiefly used to turn polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from a hard plastic into a flexible plastic. Think rubber ducks or dolls.

There are a few factors involved in solving this phthalates puzzle. The major questions to be addressed are “Which, if any, phthalates are dangerous?” and “How do phthalates affect children?”

In 2002, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) denied a petition by environmental groups to ban PVC in toys intended for children under five years of age. According to the agency “the decision, based on extensive study by [CPSC] staff, and a review of years of research by an independent panel of scientific experts and others, put to rest a long-running debate over the safety of toys containing PVC softened with the plasticizer, di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP).”

Jeff Gearhart, a lead researcher for the Ecology Center, which is behind the website HealthyToys.org, said there has been very little actual testing of phthalates in children’s products, stating: “There is a lack of information on the topic which makes it hard to generalize too much about this group of chemicals.”

Despite a lack of conclusive research or evidence, Gearhart said that HealthyToys.org is concerned about the presence of phthalates in toys and believes the toy industry should phase them out.

Erika Schreder, M.S., is a staff scientist at the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC). Schreder and the WTC have recently been conducting studies on phthalates for HealthyToys.org. Schreder points out that the tests in the past were conducted in laboratory studies on animals, not studies on children.

However, Schreder also said “Gradually evidence has built up that phthalates are toxic to unborn male reproductive systems via their mothers, resulting in birth defects such as undescended testis and hypospadias. The substance has also been found to produce hormonal changes such as blocking the action of testosterone in young boys.” Additionally, she indicates that an association has been found between higher levels of phthalates and lower testosterone in male babies.

In her February 2008 study titled “Dangerous Ducky and Other Toxic Toys,” Schreder tested 20 toys commonly available at many national retailers and dollar stores. Toys were screened for the presence of PVC using an XRF analyzer and then submitted for laboratory testing by STAT Analysis of Chicago to determine the presence and levels of 17 phthalates using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. All toys tested were designed for young children.

The results of the testing showed phthalates in many popular children’s toys. According to Schreder, these results show the urgency for the Washington state legislature to pass the “Children’s Safe Products Act of 2008” this year.

A recent study published in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) also found detectable phthalate levels in 81 percent of young children tested. One of the chemicals that was not tested for was di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) which is “the primary phthalate” associated with use in children’s toys. This has brought criticism from the Toy Industry Association (TIA). The full report can be found at www.pediatrics.org

Seemingly in response to the Schreder’s study and to the Pediatrics study, on its website in February 2008, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) wrote the following: “Given the sophistication of analytic chemistry today, we can find traces of any and all chemicals—natural and synthetic—to which we (or our babies) are exposed. Just because you can measure the presence of a chemical in blood or urine is no reason to believe the chemical poses harm. Thus it is no surprise that phthalates can be detected in trace amounts in a baby’s urine—but it is meaningless health wise.”

The ACSH further states, “there is no evidence whatsoever—not even a hint—of health problems from phthalates in any consumer products used by children or adults. That is the conclusion of esteemed scientists from the Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and universities around the world—and a blue ribbon panel on phthalates and health chaired by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. The claimed health risk is totally bogus, based exclusively on results of high-dose rodent experiments. The claim that phthalates ‘disrupt hormones’ is pure speculation and without scientific merit.” To read the whole article, see www.acsh.org

The Toy Industry Association (TIA) agrees with the findings of the ACSH. The TIA’s website states: “There is simply no solid, scientific evidence that any person has ever been harmed by the presence of phthalates in toys. In fact, there is considerable evidence to the contrary.”

The TIA is against banning phthalates until scientific studies clearly point to a health concern according to TIA president Carter Keithley. Keithley, speaking with SafeToys.com editor Laurence Liss in February said the TIA would quickly respond if phthalates were shown to be dangerous but so far this has not been the case. Further, Keithley addressed the conflicting reports and said the TIA conducted a “study of studies” to find which scientists or organizations had published the varying reports. Keithley said this review found the longstanding notion that phthalates are safe to be most accurate.

The TIA has other concerns over banning phthalates. Phthalates have been in toys for decades with no proven links to health issues, however any replacement chemicals would not necessarily have such a long history of use and analysis.

Some researchers, such as Schreder, still stand strong on the dangers of phthalates. Schreder states in her report that “decades of laboratory research have shown that phthalates can derail normal development of the male reproductive system, and studies in people are beginning to confirm the effects at current exposure levels.”

The European Union has, of late, banned phthalates and California is currently taking action to eliminate phthalates from toys. These bans have put pressure on the TIA and government safety agencies to defend the continued use of the chemicals. At Toy Fair 2008, SafeToys.com editors asked TIA representatives to comment on the reason Europeans have banned the chemicals while the United States has not. A TIA spokesman called the European approach as “precautionary” and said the European ban came even after scientists confirmed that phthalates posed no health concern.

These assurances are not satisfactory to some. Without question, Schreder feels the chemicals pose a threat and advises parents is to avoid toys that are vinyl or PVC because choosing phthalate-free toys poses a challenge: Law does not require manufacturers to mention the use of phthalates on toy packaging.

These precautions are reactionary to people like Frank W. Clarke, a spokesman for the TIA.. He feels that parents should be careful and concerned but reiterated a common TIA claim “phthalates have been used for over 50 years and no one has ever been harmed. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it until alternatives are tested and shown to be better.”

Warranted or not some companies are taking the phthalate controversy very seriously. In November 2007, Toys “R” Us announced it would begin to phase out phthalates from children’s toys intended for the mouth. The company posts the following message on the safety page of its website:

        * All manufacturers have been notified that by the end of 2008 juvenile products sold in any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us store in the United States must be produced without the addition of phthalates that have raised concerns about infant safety.
        * Additionally, as we move closer to our goal of offering PVC-free products, we have already begun replacing PVC and phthalates in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for Toys“R”Us, Inc.

Clearly there is a lot of conflicting evidence about the dangers of phthalates. Perhaps the best thing to do is to be aware of phthalates in children’s toys and not bring these potentially dangerous toys into our homes. There are enough alternative toys available. If however, you are not convinced of the dangers then be aware of phthalates in children’s toys and keep on the alert for further news stories and research relating to the chemicals. We will continue to bring you information and findings relating to this issue.

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