The European Commission has welcomed the European Parliament´s support of its directive banning the use of certain plasticisers in soft PVC toys and childcare articles. The EU vote harmonises legislation in place in member states since 1999 and according to the Commission should take effect in autumn of this year. Under the directive, the three phthalates DEHP, DBP and BBP, which have been identified as reprotoxic, will be banned outright. DINP, DIDP and DNOP will be banned in articles that can be put into the mouth by children. BASF (D-67506 Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com) recently announced plans to stop DEHP production.

The organisation Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) for its part has expressed concern about the ban. It says the vote encourages manufacturers to “move away from a chemical that has been comprehensively risk assessed by an EU agency and found safe for use in its current applications.” While stressing that the toy industry´s “highest concern is the protection of children,” TIE said it believes nevertheless that the directive will “undermine legal certainty and potentially the future regulatory framework for chemicals in Europe.”