Federal Toxic Toys Policy - The Breast Cancer Fund
Tips for Buying Safe Toys
The phthalate ban will go into effect February 10, 2009. Until then
(and perhaps after, if the CPSC has its way; see above), stores can
continue to sell toys that contain phthalates. Our suggestion for now:
buyer beware. Know what to look for when buying plastic toys and avoid
phthalates:
- 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," or they carry the CE mark (which
indicates that the product is compliant with European Union regulations
and therefore phthalate-free).
- Both teethers and
pacifiers sold in the United States are supposed to be phthalate-free
already, though parents should purchase these items from reputable
retailers.
- Recycling codes (if toys have them) may
help you determine if the items are made with PVC, which often contains
phthalates. PVC plastics are marked #3. Better choices are codes #1, #2
or #5. The Breast Cancer Fund recommends that people also avoid
plastics marked #6 (styrene) and #7 (“other,” but often BPA-based).
- To
be safe, we recommend that parents discard soft plastic toys and
childcare articles that do not fall into one of the exceptions listed
above. When purchasing new items, look for phthalate-free toys and make
sure retailers know phthalate-free merchandise is important to you.
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