Toxics & Public Health News

First Illinois Testing Since New Standards Were Implemented

Chicago- Illinois PIRG released the results of testing performed for lead, phthalates and other chemicals on children’s products found on Illinois store shelves. The results, highlighted in a new report titled, Chemical Compliance: Testing for Toxics in Children’s Products, found several children’s products exceeding current safety standards and products containing toxic phthalates recently banned by the new federal product safety law.

The testing is the first since the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, signed into law in 2008, decreased the allowable amount of lead from 600 parts per million (ppm) to 300 ppm on August 15th 2009 (with a phase-in of 100ppm by August 2011) and banned the use of 6 phthalates in children’s toys. 

“After the wave of record recalls of dangerous toys just two years ago, we’re glad to see that most of the toys we tested are in compliance with the law,” said Brian Imus, director of Illinois PIRG and an author of the report. “But not all toys are safe and we must do more to prevent toxic toys from ending up on store shelves.”
 
Children are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of chemicals because their bodies are still developing. Lead impacts almost every organ in the body, attacks the central nervous system and can lead to permanent brain and behavioral damage, or even death.

Illinois PIRG also tested for Phthalates and found banned versions of the chemical in 2 toys. Phthalates lead to a wide array of harm to the human body; from reproductive defects in men and women, premature birth, early onset puberty for young girls, and lower sperm counts in men.  Because their bodies are still developing, children are more susceptible to their negative health effects.

“Tougher lead safety standards and a ban on phthalates may be making toys safer, but there are other harmful chemicals commonly found in children’s products that are not regulated”, said U.S. PIRG public health advocate Liz Hitchcock. She noted that bromine is widely used in children’s product and studies have shown damaging impacts to the thyroid, and motor and memory skills.

Under current law, companies that wish to introduce new chemicals to the U.S. market must notify U.S. EPA at least 90 days before producing or importing a new chemical. The new chemicals program, however, should be improved by increasing the testing requirements of the chemicals.

“We must reform chemicals policy to require that chemicals are tested and proven safe before they enter the market and put our families’ health at risk,” said Imus.

The testing results have been incorporated into www.healthystuff.org, a national database of more than 5,000 products tested for toxic chemicals. A link to testing done in Illinois can be found at http://www.healthystuff.org/departments/toys/product.tmtresults.php

Illinois-PIRG-Toxics-Report-Oct-29.pdf