Shoppers warned against buying toys with harmful chemicals

MANILA, Philippines - Shoppers were advised yesterday against buying toys laced with harmful substances that pose health risks to children.

Environmental group EcoWaste Coalition yesterday said a laboratory test it had commissioned showed the presence of toxic additives known as phthalates in six out of seven polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys bought locally.

“The results of our investigation show that the government request to voluntarily stop the production and sale of these harmful toys has been ignored and this provides a compelling reason for stronger action by the government,” said Thony Dizon, coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project PROTECT (People Responding and Organizing against Toxic Chemical Threats).

“We therefore urge P-Noy (President Aquino) to introduce a robust policy, building on Bureau of Food and Drugs Advisory 99-05, that will reduce incidences of toxic exposure from phthalates, which can seriously affect children’s health.”

As early as 1999, the government had raised serious concerns about phthalates. In the BFAD Advisory 99-05 issued on Dec. 23, 1999, the government warned that “phthalates may cause adverse health effects such as liver and kidney wounds, reproductive abnormalities and immune system defects.”

BFAD (now known as the Food and Drug Administration) noted the particular concern over PVC toys and requested manufacturers and retailers to voluntarily halt the sale of soft PVC toys and infant care products for infants/children under three years of age.

Phthalates are synthetic chemicals added to PVC plastic to make it soft and flexible.

“Alternative plastics and other materials do not require toxic chemicals for flexibility and this gives consumers a cost-effective, safer option,” stated visiting scientist Dr. Joe DiGangi, science and policy adviser of the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN).

The toxic watchdog bought the assorted toys last month from various stores in Divisoria in Manila, and had them analyzed for phthalates at Intertek Thailand through Intertek Testing Services Philippines, Inc.

Laboratory analysis showed that six of the seven toy samples failed the 0.1 percent by mass limit set by the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 for children’s toys and child care articles. The Philippines has no specific standard on phthalates yet.

The phthalates measured in this survey have already been banned in toys by US and European governments to prevent kids’ exposure to these toxic chemicals.

The toxic watchdog expressed concern that phthalate-tainted toys continue to flood the market despite a decade-old government warning on the health hazards posed by plastic toys.