uebbb

What Is All The Fuss About Chemicals In Toys?by Jon Hamilton.House and Senate lawmakers this week moved toward banning sometypes of phthalates, a family of chemicals found in many softplastic children's toys. Here, a look at where phthalates are foundand the health concerns they raise.What are phthalates.They're chemicals widely used to soften plastics such as vinyl.Manufacturers use hundreds of million of pounds of phthalates eachyear in productsincluding children's toys.What kinds of toys are they found in.They're found in a variety of soft toys, including some rubberducks, bath books and soft vinyl blocks. However, about a decadeago, companies voluntarily removed phthalates from toysspecifically designed to be chewed by children, such as teethingrings and rattles.What are the health concerns?Phthalates are part of a group of chemicals called "endocrinedisruptors." Some of these chemicals act like a hormone in thebody; others block the effect of the body's own hormones. Healthconcerns center on what happens when children chew on toyscontaining phthalates, and small amounts get into their bodies.Just handling toys isn't a problem. There are more than a dozenphthalates in common use. Studies have shown that some of thesephthalates can cause reproductive problems in rodents, but theeffect on humans is under much debate.Why are lawmakers acting now?The Consumer Product Safety Commission has come under fire in thepast couple of years amid a rise in recalls of unsafe products,including imported toys that contained lead paint. Both the Houseand Senate have bills to revamp the Consumer Product SafetyCommission. The Senate version called for banning some phthalatesin children's toys as part of the commission's overhaul. The Houseversion did not. House and Senate lawmakers, who met to reconcilethe two bills, told reporters that they had agreed in principle toadopt the ban. The final bill still needs to go to a vote.If you're a worried parent, what should you do with toys that maycontain phthalates?That depends on whether your children are mouthing or chewing onthose toys. A 2003 study by the CPSC found that most children spentonly a few minutes a day mouthing soft plastic toys, and that afterage 2 children pretty much stop putting these toys in their mouthsat all.Will toys containing phthalates be recalled?Some consumer groups want that to happen. But there is no languagein the current legislation to suggest a recall. The ban would applyonly to toys sold after it becomes law.Is the ban likely to meet resistance?Some companies that make the plastic, like Exxon Mobil, havelobbied against the legislation. They say the science suggestingthat children are at risk from phthalates is weak. President Bushhas said he opposes the ban, but he has not said he would veto thebill.