Many school supplies won't get a passing grade

Naturally, parents were alarmed to learn about the toxins found in some children’s toys. Later, they were warned about toxic school supplies. And now, the Center for Environmental Health and Justice (CHEJ), a US NGO, has come out with a “no-PVC in school supplies” guide. As you probably know, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a plastic. And here’s the truth about this infamous plastic, so warns Richard Gutierrez of Ban Toxics! (visit www.bantoxics.org): “It is quite notorious if burned as it can produce dioxins and furans, major cancer-causing substances. Interestingly enough, the dangers of PVC are not simply in the burning but also in the daily use. The risks it poses, especially to children, are high.”

CHEJ did its homework and created a PVC-free buying guide to help parents and schools know how to avoid such products. While price is a major consideration when buying school supplies, we can’t put a price tag on our children’s health and future.

So, parents, are you ready for today’s lessons (as culled from a recent article by Rita Colorito)?

• Lesson 1: Once more with feeling, PVC is bad for the health.

Many school supplies will not get a passing mark when it comes to safeguarding your kids’ health because they are made with polyvinyl chloride, PVC and vinyl, a plastic that contains toxic chemical additives. Among these additives are:

• Phthalates. Also called plasticizers, these are industrial chemicals that make plastic more flexible. They have been shown to disrupt the body’s reproductive and endocrine systems — the glands and organs in the body — which control mood, development and growth. They’re found in ordinary things that we use almost every day like food packaging, detergents, shampoo as well as toys, shower curtains, nail polish and adhesives.

Because of the widespread use of phthalates in vinyl plastic products, they’ve been found in the air we breathe, the dust in our homes and in school, even in our own body and in breast milk.

• Lead. It’s found, among other things, in eating utensils, cosmetics (and that’s the ugly truth), batteries and ceramics. Exposure to lead can severely affect a child’s mental and physical development. Used as a stabilizer in some PVC products, lead can rub off on the hands and be accidentally ingested.

Lead poisoning can also lead to nerve and muscle disorders, kidney and heart problems, and even cancer.

• Cadmium. An extremely toxic metal, it’s commonly found in industrial workplaces where iron ore is being processed. According to the National Institutes of Health, children exposed to cadmium, through direct ingestion, may suffer ailments in adulthood, like osteoporosis and lung cancer.

• Organotins. Studies have shown that exposure to these widespread organic pollutants has potent endocrine-disrupting properties, according to the Endocrine Society. They may be linked to the rise in obesity, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The good news is, due to growing health concerns, the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 has mandated that children’s toys and personal care items (like those that help with putting the baby to sleep or the baby’s feeding or teething) can no longer be made using three types of phthalates.

But the bad news is phthalates can still be used in the manufacture of other PVC products to which children are exposed, such as school supplies. New lab tests reveal that kids’ vinyl school supplies (which include lunchboxes, backpacks, raincoats, rain boots, notebook binders) are laden with toxic phthalates, some as much as 59 times over the limit set by federal law. US Congress has banned three types of phthalates (DEHP, DBP, and BBP) in any amount greater than 0.1 percent.

Say no to PVC: The Disney Princess Rose Kids’ Rain Boots have been found to contain 12,300 ppm (parts per million) of phthalates while the Disney Princess Lunchbox contains some 29,800 ppm . Three out of four lunchboxes contain more than one type of phthalate, meaning kids are exposed to multiple phthalates.

In the long run, PVC also affects the health of the environment as it releases cancer-causing dioxins into the air during manufacture and potentially leaches toxic chemicals into the ground soil and water supply upon disposal.

• Lesson 2: Create a shop-smart checklist.

The CHEJ buying guide lists the most common back-to-school supplies made out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) plastic and suggests safer PVC-free alternatives. It draws up some rules to make sure your checklist checks out:

• Avoid shiny plastic backpacks, umbrellas, and raincoats as they often contain PVC and lead.

• Buy cloth or metal lunchboxes, or look for plastic lunch bags that are labeled “PVC-free.”

• Choose cardboard, cloth-covered or polypropylene three-ring binders instead of vinyl binders.

 Avoid products with the number 3 inside the recycle symbol with the letters “V” or “PVC” underneath.

• Stick with shiny metal: Paperclips and binder rings coated with colored plastic may contain PVC.

• Use stainless steel water bottles or insulated containers to reduce potential exposure to phthalates in plastic: avoid plastic food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastics which pose health risks, too.

• Look for the “PVC-free” label on products.

• If the product doesn’t have a label or symbol, call the 1-800 number of the manufacturer or retailer and ask what type of plastic their product is made of.

• Lesson 3: Use a cheat sheet.

The CHEJ guide also lists PVC-free products and suppliers. Print it and take it with you as your cheat sheet to safer school supplies when you shop.

Having committed this list to memory and learned it by heart, you’ll probably get more than a passing grade next time you shop for school supplies.

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