Time to stop fear-mongering toy campaign says industry

Joint Press Release of: Toy Industries of Europe and
European Council of Plasticizers and Intermediates
December 1, 1998

The European toy and plasticiser industries are publicly calling on environmental organisations to stop their ill-informed and fear-mongering campaign which is scaring parents into believing their children can be harmed by sucking soft plastic toys.

There is absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest that the phthalate plasticisers, used to make toys soft and flexible, are a health hazard to children, say the industries. And yet Greenpeace and the European consumer organisation BEUC continue to frighten parents with misguided suggestions that they might be carcinogenic to children or cause human reproductive problems.

"It’s time to put the record straight and to stop misleading the public" says Dr Cadogan, Director of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI). "They are not only being extremely selective in what they are choosing to say, they are also taking it largely out of context."

The industries’ firm warning that parents are being duped into believing that soft plastic toys are unsafe comes in the wake of the publication yesterday (November 30) of a revised opinion by the EU Scientific Committee for Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE) and renewed calls by the consumer groups for a ban on vinyl toys.

The CSTEE opinion does not state that plasticised toys are unsafe or that they are a health hazard. "In fact it was good news in that the CSTEE has now recognised that there is a far greater margin of safety than they at first thought for diisononyl phthalate (DINP) which is the most commonly used plasticiser in children’s toys", said Dr Cadogan.

Taking into account a recent study conducted in the Netherlands, the CSTEE has concluded that there is a 75-fold safety margin between the highest possible level to which a child could be exposed on a daily basis and the level at which no health effects have been seen in rodents. 

"They are still concerned because they would like to see a 100-fold safety factor but even this has to be put in context, " he said. "Firstly, the Committee has not taken into account a more recent scientific study that would have given them a 440-fold safety margin. But, even more importantly, we are not even comparing like with like. The level at which effects occur in rodents are very different to those which occur in man. In order to observe signs of toxicity, rodents had to be fed massive doses of the plasticisers. At even greater doses no such signs of toxicity have been seen in primates which are more closely related to man."

Based on rodent studies, the CSTEE has stated that they also have a concern relating to the safety margins of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). However, they have similarly failed to recognise no effects are seen in primates or that this product is very rarely used in children’s toys and virtually not at all in any items designed to be put in the mouth by children under three years old.

"Soft toys have been made from plasticised vinyl for more than 40 years and it is one of the most well-researched of all materials. There’s not even one case of a child having suffered any ill-health as a result," said Dr Cadogan.

"In the sort of quantities any child is likely to be exposed to, there is nothing to worry about. If there were, industry would react responsibly and very swiftly indeed."

It is a view that is shared equally by the toys industry.

"We fully support the CSTEE’s recommendation that interlaboratory comparison tests be carried out in order to validate the Dutch laboratory method to measure the phthalate release from toys," said Maurits Bruggink, Secretary General of Toys Industries Europe. "Indeed, the industry is already actively working on this with the Dutch authorities and the European Commission to ensure that the process is accelerated.

"At the same time, we fully understand why parents are concerned, especially when you consider the amount of misinformation that is being fed to them. An unfortunate consequence has been the announcement by some companies that they will use alternative raw materials, not because their products are unsafe but simply because of pressure. In the end it will be the consumer who will suffer, not only from lack of choice, but also because many raw materials are far less well understood.

"We respect any decision a parent may make as to whether a toy is safe or appropriate to use but they must know the full facts in order to make an informed decision. We want parents to know that they can buy, use and keep their current toys without any fear about the safety of their children."

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NOTES FOR EDITORS:

1. The reason that biological activity has been seen in tests on rats and mice that have been fed large doses of phthalates is because they have huge numbers of a specific cell receptor that phthalates can irritate (through a mechanism called ‘peroxisome proliferation’) into causing tumours. Guinea pigs, monkeys and humans have about a tenth of the number of such receptors, each of which is less sensitive than those in rodents.

2. Contrary to some media reports, no European countries have banned the use or sale of soft PVC toys or childcare items. The only countries to have notified the European Commission of possible intent to introduce restrictions are Sweden, Denmark, and Austria but no such restrictions are yet in place.

For further information please contact:

Maurits Bruggink
Toys Industries of Europe
Avenue de Tervueren 13A
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 0032 2 732 7040
Fax: 0032 2 736 9068
Mobile: 0032 75 633 267

David Cadogan
European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates
Avenue E Van Nieuwenhuyse 4
B-1160 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 0032 2 676 7243
Fax: 0032 2 676 7216