The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat: the ups and downs in limiting exposures to toxic chemicals

In a major victory for parents and public health advocates, on August 14 President Bush signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act establishing the first-ever national standards for lead and the plasticizers known as phthalates in toys and child care articles. The new federal law permanently bans three types of phthalates from toys and certain child care articles, temporarily bans three other types of phthalates from toys and certain child care articles pending scientific review, and limits allowable lead levels in toys over a three-year period.

Phthalates are hormone-mimicking chemicals that have been linked to a number of serious health problems including birth defects, early puberty (a risk factor for breast cancer) and testicular cancer. Phthalates make plastic toys and teethers soft and flexible, but when kids put them in their mouths, they can leach from toy to child. Phthalate exposure is widespread in the United States and in Oregon. Until the new federal ban on phthalates in toys goes into effect 180 days from now, soft plastic toys that young children might put in their mouths may contain phthalates unless they are marked "phthalate-free," “PVC-free” or "EU compliant.” And while a good first step, the new federal law will not eliminate phthalates from all products that contain the gender-bending chemical.

The phthalate ban is only the tip of the iceberg of what's needed to protect Americans from unsafe chemical exposures. Other recent news isn’t as good for people worried about exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report last Friday concluding that "an adequate margin of safety exists for BPA at current levels of exposure from food contact uses." Suspiciously, the FDA report--which relied largely on two plastics industry-funded studies--came just days before California legislators were to vote on banning BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups, and other products designed for young children. More than 100 government- and university-funded studies have linked BPA to cancer, diabetes, behavioral disorders, and reproductive problems, and an April report from the National Toxicology Program declared there was "some concern" about infant exposure to the chemical. Canada has declared BPA to be a hazardous substance. BPA is used in the production of hard plastics and the epoxy resins that coat metal cans and bottle tops.  Scientific studies have demonstrated that BPA can migrate into food and OEC’s recent Pollution in People study found the chemical in 80% of the people tested.  Fortunately, there are some easy ways to reduce your exposure to bisphenol A and other toxic chemicals by making some informed choices.

The phthalate legislation is a good first step toward broader chemical policy reform, but the FDA report on BPA reminds us that we’ve still got a long way to go. OEC will continue to work to pass policies that will spur further state-level and Congressional action to ensure that toxic chemicals don’t get it into consumer products in the first place.

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