TIA: EU chem. decision disappointing
By Colleen Bohen -- Playthings, 7/5/2005 5:00:00 PM
NEW YORK—The Toy Industry Association is expressing disappointment in the European Parliament’s recent decision to ban toy manufacturers from using six chemicals in the production of plastic parts and products. The decision, prompted by Greenpeace initiatives, regulates the use of the chemicals known as DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP.
The European Union rulings are based, it says, on evidence that each of the chemicals—which can be ingested by children sucking on plastic toys—has been shown to damage kidneys, liver and sex organs in animals.
“It is difficult to understand how the European Parliament could take this action. We hope that European member governments do not ratify the measure,” Tom Conley, TIA president, tells playthings.com. “This action flies in the face of sound scientific evidence provided by researchers both in Europe and in the USA that these products are safe for use in children’s products,” he said. “In fact, both the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), an arm of the European Commission, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, separately reviewing research extant in their jurisdictions over broad periods of time, concluded that DINP is safe for use in its current applications in toys and childcare items,” he said.
According to the TIA’s Web site, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ruled in 2003 to deny a 1998 petition by environmental groups to ban PVC using DINP in toys intended for children under five years of age—a decision supported by the TIA.
At least one U.S. toy manufacturer doesn’t seem too worried about the new ban. He tells playthings.com that since his company’s products aren’t very heavily distributed in Europe, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
The push for such a ban came mainly from a campaign led by Greenpeace. The environmental organization’s campaign originated when it began testing a range of PVC plastic toys in 1997. The organization is currently pushing for manufacturers to stop using hazardous chemicals and substitute with safer alternatives.
Greenpeace’s Nadia Haiama-Neurohr takes a pretty strong stance against industry use of such chemicals. She said “We should be able to trust industry not to make dangerous chemicals and manufacturers not to use them. But this toxic toy story shows us that they won’t clean up their acts unless we force them to. We can all make a difference by shopping wisely and choosing environmentally sound products, but only by demanding tougher laws can we be sure that all hazardous chemicals are replaced with safer alternatives.”
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