PVC AND ENVIRONMENT
EU ban on phthalates in infant toys on again / Commission rejects voluntary agreement
The European Commission appears to have finally reached a consensus on banning phthalates in toys designed for children under three. After passing a preliminary ban in early November, the Commission on 22 November voted to uphold it, only to abandon the plans again shortly afterward in favour of a voluntary agreement with toy manufacturers to keep the soft PVC products out of the hands of children. But on 1 December 1999 the EU´s Emergencies Committee of the General Product Safety Directive, in which all member countries are represented, unanimously agreed on a ban.
Products affected are baby pacifiers and teething rings made of plasticised PVC, but not squeeze toys like the “rubber ducky” made famous by the lovable Sesame Street character, Ernie. According to the Commission, tests with volunteers showed that two phthalates currently in use, DINP and DEHP, may release chemicals exceeding the levels considered safe by scientists. It said these “have been found in laboratory tests to cause testicular damage and serious adverse effects on the liver and kidney.” Eight member states have voted bans on the phthalates and two others are said to be considering such action. The Commission said it may also ban four other phthalates. The EU directive does not require shopkeepers to remove such products already on the shelves.
The European body´s vacillation on the subject may reflect conflicting evidence on the hazards of phthalates as well as lobbying by toy manufacturers and the chemical industry, which fears possible repercussions for other PVC products. The Commission said it does not believe a voluntary agreement proposed by the Association of European Toy Manufacturers (TIE) could be enforced, especially as imports from outside the EU are not distributed through TIE channels.
The German PVC industry grouping, Arbeitsgemeinschaft PVC und Umwelt (AgPU, Pleimesstr. 3, D-53129 Bonn), reports that recent US studies by group of experts led by Dr. C. Everett Koop, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, found no conclusive evidence that phthalates are human carcinogens. The report, published in Washington last June, is available under PIE-No. 44281.
Products affected are baby pacifiers and teething rings made of plasticised PVC, but not squeeze toys like the “rubber ducky” made famous by the lovable Sesame Street character, Ernie. According to the Commission, tests with volunteers showed that two phthalates currently in use, DINP and DEHP, may release chemicals exceeding the levels considered safe by scientists. It said these “have been found in laboratory tests to cause testicular damage and serious adverse effects on the liver and kidney.” Eight member states have voted bans on the phthalates and two others are said to be considering such action. The Commission said it may also ban four other phthalates. The EU directive does not require shopkeepers to remove such products already on the shelves.
The European body´s vacillation on the subject may reflect conflicting evidence on the hazards of phthalates as well as lobbying by toy manufacturers and the chemical industry, which fears possible repercussions for other PVC products. The Commission said it does not believe a voluntary agreement proposed by the Association of European Toy Manufacturers (TIE) could be enforced, especially as imports from outside the EU are not distributed through TIE channels.
The German PVC industry grouping, Arbeitsgemeinschaft PVC und Umwelt (AgPU, Pleimesstr. 3, D-53129 Bonn), reports that recent US studies by group of experts led by Dr. C. Everett Koop, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, found no conclusive evidence that phthalates are human carcinogens. The report, published in Washington last June, is available under PIE-No. 44281.
15.12.1999 Plasteurope.com [17652]
Published on 15.12.1999