Throughout my series on BPA and phthalates, we’ve learned what the chemicals are, what doctors say about their potential harm, and what the government has done in light of the concerns raised by the recent studies. This has caused a huge divide to form between environmentalists and the toy industry, each of whom has very strong opinions on the new legislation.
The toy industry, not surprisingly, is not pleased with the new regulations.
“This action flies in the face of sound scientific evidence provided by researchers both in Europe and in the USA that these products are safe for use in children’s products,” says Tom Conley, president of the Toy Industry Association. “We aren’t going to roll over and take this lying down.”
To analyze the validity of Conley’s claim, I did a quick search on Google to find out which studies had concluded that these chemicals were safe. Interestingly, all of the ones I found were conducted or funded by chemical companies, who would have much to lose monetarily if phthalates and BPA were found to be toxic.
Environmentalists, who have spearheaded the movement to get these chemicals banned, are naturally pleased with the results of their campaigns.
Environment California spokesperson Rachel Gibson told E Magazine, “Many places in the world have to comply with restrictions on phthalates. It’s a mystery why we sell toxic toys to American kids.”
In light of the National Toxicology Program’s recent report, and especially the authors’ recommendation that BPA at least be phased out, it’s easy to see why they are concerned.
Steven Hentges, executive director of the American Plastics Council’s Polycarbonate Business Unit, counters with this statement: “The data that is presented has been known for years and, most importantly, data of that type has been reviewed by government agencies around the world in their comprehensive reviews on BPA and, in every case, they reach a conclusion even after considering this kind of data that polycarbonate baby bottles are safe for use.”
I don’t have any kids, myself, but I’m very interested in what parents are thinking about all this. I’d love to hear some feedback from my readers about BPA and phthalates, and how (if at all) this information has impacted your purchasing decisions. If you’d like to have your quote published on this blog, send me an e-mail at toygeek(@)toygeekblog(.com), and I’ll put it in my next entry at the end of the week.
