U.S. Congress Bans Toxic Plastics Softener in Toys
Posted on August 2, 2008
The United States is poised to partially ban a group of chemicals used to soften plastic toys, heeding concerns about possible links to reproductive disorders and other health problems.
The chemicals, known as phthalates, are found in hundreds of household items, including soft plastic toys and other baby products, such as teethers, bath books, and rubber ducks.
Studies have found exposure may cause long-term health effects, including cancer, as the chemicals can interfere with the development of the hormone and reproductive systems.
More than a dozen countries along with the European Union have moved to ban or restrict phthalates.
The U.S. phthalate ban is part of a consumer product safety reform bill that easily passed the Senate Thursday night. The Senate’s 89-3 vote came on the heels of Wednesday’s 424-1 vote in the House.
Faced with such overwhelming support from Congress, President Bush has indicated he will sign the bill, despite opposition to the phthalate ban and other provisions in the legislation.
Lawmakers crafted the bill in response to recent product recalls of a long list of consumer products, including toys found to contain unsafe levels of lead paint, and growing worries about the ineffectiveness of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC.
It took House and Senate leaders nearly five months to iron out their differences between competing bills, with the phthalate provision a major sticking point.
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