Bay Area BusinessWoman
www.babwnews.com
June, 2007
Toxic Toys Banned in San Francisco
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San Francisco (NewsTarget) — Beginning Dec. 1, the city of San Francisco will begin enforcing a ban on the sale, distribution and manufacture of baby products that contain any level of the toxic chemical bisphenol A, or certain levels of phthalates.
Both chemicals — which are used to harden or soften plastic products — can leach out of the plastic in toys and products every time an infant puts it in its mouth, possibly causing severe health problems.
San Francisco's law is modeled after a ban that went into effect in the European Union earlier this year.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says its decades-old guidelines on "safe" human exposure to the chemicals fail to take into account hundreds of recent studies that link the chemicals with serious health disorders.
Representatives from the highly-politicized FDA, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission — which is in charge of toy safety — say no plans are in place to pose new restrictions on chemicals that take into consideration the latest research. Because manufacturers are not required to list ingredients in toys, it can be difficult for parents to choose products that do not contain chemicals. However, Mary Brine, founder of Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS), recommends parents purchase toys and products made without plastics, such as glass baby bottles.
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