Hippie Staff
11-07-2007, 07:10 AM
Redundant post..but it's an important one..especially for people with babies, young children, or are considering having children.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has authorised a ban on toys and child products containing "more than a trace amount" of plastic-softening phthalates, AP reports.
The proscription, which comes into force at the start of 2009, marks California as the first state to move against phthalates which are "widely used in baby bottles, soft baby books, teething rings, plastic bath ducks and other toys", according to the bill's author, democrat Assemblywoman Fiona Ma of San Francisco.
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Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates), which make plastic soft and flexible, are used in toys, rattles, teethers, car interiors and medical devices such as tubing, catheters and intravenous bags.
Nearly every American has been exposed. A 2000 study by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found phthalates in the urine of 75 percent of the people tested. CDC research has shown that 95 percent of Americans have detectable levels of bisphenol A in their bodies.
The American Medical Association last month urged the Food and Drug Administration to require labeling of all medical products containing one phthalate to protect newborns in hospitals. More than 100 hospitals have begun removing such products from their neonatal nurseries.
The Environmental Protection Agency has asked the National Academies of Science to produce a report on phthalates, a process that could take several years. The National Academies data would help the EPA set a "reference dose" for those chemicals -- the maximum amount scientists think a person could be exposed to in food and water every day without suffering harm.
Recently Target made a pledge to get rid of phthalates.. (http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2007/11/05/daily15.html)
Minneapolis-based retailer Target (NYSE: TGT) will reduce PVC found in many of its house-brand products including infant products, children's toys, shower curtains, packaging and fashion accessories. PVC commonly contains toxic additives such as lead and phthalates, the group detailed in a press release.
The group said phthalates have been linked to premature birth and other reproductive health problems, though other surveys have maintained the products are safe.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has authorised a ban on toys and child products containing "more than a trace amount" of plastic-softening phthalates, AP reports.
The proscription, which comes into force at the start of 2009, marks California as the first state to move against phthalates which are "widely used in baby bottles, soft baby books, teething rings, plastic bath ducks and other toys", according to the bill's author, democrat Assemblywoman Fiona Ma of San Francisco.
---------------------------
Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates), which make plastic soft and flexible, are used in toys, rattles, teethers, car interiors and medical devices such as tubing, catheters and intravenous bags.
Nearly every American has been exposed. A 2000 study by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found phthalates in the urine of 75 percent of the people tested. CDC research has shown that 95 percent of Americans have detectable levels of bisphenol A in their bodies.
The American Medical Association last month urged the Food and Drug Administration to require labeling of all medical products containing one phthalate to protect newborns in hospitals. More than 100 hospitals have begun removing such products from their neonatal nurseries.
The Environmental Protection Agency has asked the National Academies of Science to produce a report on phthalates, a process that could take several years. The National Academies data would help the EPA set a "reference dose" for those chemicals -- the maximum amount scientists think a person could be exposed to in food and water every day without suffering harm.
Recently Target made a pledge to get rid of phthalates.. (http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2007/11/05/daily15.html)
Minneapolis-based retailer Target (NYSE: TGT) will reduce PVC found in many of its house-brand products including infant products, children's toys, shower curtains, packaging and fashion accessories. PVC commonly contains toxic additives such as lead and phthalates, the group detailed in a press release.
The group said phthalates have been linked to premature birth and other reproductive health problems, though other surveys have maintained the products are safe.