Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products - Nobody Minding the Store
It's not just about lead from China. Many children's products contain toxic chemicals linked to a wide array of health effects including reproductive problems, learning disabilities, hormone problems, and cancer. The federal government has been slow to act to protect infants and children from toxic chemicals in toys and other products.
- The only federal law on lead in toys is thirty years old and only applies to lead in paint. It does not regulate lead in other materials, making lead in vinyl (PVC) products (like baby bibs), plastics, or jewelry perfectly legal.
- The federal government rarely regulates commonly used synthetic chemicals in consumer products - even those meant for children - despite current scientific understanding of the hazards of many of these chemicals.
- The federal government doesn’t require companies to tell consumers what’s in their products, or to label them so consumers can make their own choices.
Despite all we do know about the dangers of lead and other toxic chemicals, manufacturers are allowed to use them in toys and other children’s products even though safer alternatives exist. - The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) does not have the authority to ensure that toys are safe. The CPSC has no legal authority to test children’s products before sale. Recalls are mainly voluntary and rarely happen unless a company alerts the agency of a problem.
States Are Taking Action Now
Fortunately, states are taking action where the federal government has failed to protect children from harmful chemicals in everyday consumer products. California, New York and Michigan have stepped up to regulate jewelry and other products by limiting lead content. Numerous states are considering laws to regulate chemicals in products, including Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, and Minnesota.
Washington State Should Not Wait To Act
Washington State cannot and should not wait for the federal government to act. While there are thousands of toxic chemicals on the market and many are in products our children sleep on, put in their mouths, play with, and wear every day, there is no system to ensure that these products are safe. The same chemicals in these products end up as a waste problem in landfills and incinerators and a contamination problem in Puget Sound, the Columbia River and other waterbodies. We also know these same chemicals are building up in the food chain and in our bodies.
The Washington State Legislature must take action now to protect children from toxic chemicals in toys and other products by passing the Children's Safe Products Act which:
- Prohibits the use of dangerous chemicals in toys and other children's products. Known toxics such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates should be kept out of toys and only the safest chemicals and materials should be used.
- Provides consumers with useful information to make safer buying choices. Manufacturers of toys and children’s products must be required to test and disclose the chemical contents of their products.
- Makes manufacturers responsible for moving toward safer products. Manufacturers should replace toxic ingredients with safer substitutes.
Help us make toys and all children's products safe for kids by contacting your legislators today.
Take Action on WA Toxics Coalition's web site >
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Fact Sheets on the Children's Safe Products Act
"What's in the Toy Box?" fact sheet
"Rx for Prevention: Children's Products" fact sheet
Developmental Impacts of Chemical Exposures
