E-Weekly
Sep 20th, 2007                                Print this article

California pushes phthalate ban in toys

By Tony Deligio

A California state proposal to ban toys with di-isononyl phthalates (DINP) has drawn protests from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Arlington, VA) and the Toy Industry Assn. (TIA), prompting the TIA to release a report reviewed that more than 140 separate scientific papers, studies, and research documents examining phthalates. Added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make the rigid polymer flexible, DINP is present in many children toys and had previously been cleared by different bodies, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The 69-page report backing the TIA is called Review and Risk Analysis of Child Exposure to Di-Isononyl Phthalate in Toys.

On Sept. 11, TIA President Carter Keithley addressed the issue during the Biennial U.S.-Sino Consumer Product Safety Summit—a meeting between the CPSC and its Chinese equivalent, AQSIQ. The groups met to discuss bilateral efforts to improve product safety, including banning lead paint in Chinese-made toys.

With an effective date of Jan. 1, 2009, Assembly Bill 1108 would bar the manufacture, sale, or distribution any toy or child-care product containing di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), in concentrations exceeding 0.1%. For products intended for children under 3 years that could be placed in the child's mouth, the ban extends to diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), or di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), in concentrations exceeding 0.1%.

TIA and the ACC are joined in opposition of the bill by The Society of the Plastics Industry, American Electronics Assn., California Chamber of Commerce, California Grocers Assn., California Manufacturers and Technology Assn., California Retailers Assn., Chemical Industry Council of California, Grocery Manufacturers/Food Products Assn., International Bottled Water Assn., and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assn.—tdeligio@modplas.com

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