US lawmakers to ban toxins from toys: reports
- From: rpautrey2 <rpautrey2@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:36:08 -0700 (PDT)
US lawmakers to ban toxins from toys: reports
Tue Jul 29, 8:17 AM ET
US lawmakers agreed to ban the use of a group of chemicals in toys and
other children's products that consumer groups say cause serious
health effects, newspapers reported Tuesday.
Congressional negotiators agreed Monday on the wording of a ban after
months of wrangling, according to The Washington Post and The Wall
Street Journal.
The ban, part of a long-debated overhaul of US consumer safety
standards, would eliminate certain phthalates used to soften plastic
and commonly found in toys, shower curtains and shampoos, The
Washington Post reported.
Critics believe the chemicals are linked to reproductive problems,
including low sperm counts.
Certain phthalates were banned for use in children's products in
Europe in 1999 and in California last year. The states of Washington
and Vermont have since passed legislation on use of the chemicals.
The Wall Street Journal said some of the chemicals would be banned
only temporarily under the new legislation while more research is
conducted.
"Chemical additives should not be placed in products that can impact
health adversely until they are tested and found to be benign,"
sponsor Senator Dianne Feinstein of California told the Post.
Chemical industry groups, which had financed a large-scale effort to
stop the ban, criticised the move saying it could allow less-tested
chemicals to be used instead.
"What's at stake is, in fact, children's safety," Elissa Stery, a vice
president at Exxon Mobil Chemicals told the Post adding that
manufacturers may be forced to replace phthalates with lesser-known
compounds.
The wider consumer safety update, coming after a year of massive toy
recalls, would also impose stricter standards and testing for products
like children's jewelry, cribs and strollers, the Journal reported.
"This is by far the most robust reform in the agency's history,"
Rachel Weintraub of the Consumer Federation of America told the
Journal. "We're happy."
Lawmakers are expected to pass the new legislation, the Journal
reported. The Post said President George W. Bush opposes the ban, but
has not yet decided whether to veto the measure.
Copyright © 2008 Agence France Presse.
Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080729/hl_afp/ushealthcongresssafetychildren_080729121747
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