American Chemistry Council Sets the Record Straight About Concerns About Toys and Phthalates as Holiday Shopping Season Approaches

As holiday shopping draws closer, the American Chemistry Council reiterates the strong safety profile of phthalates used in children's toys. Historical facts and scientific data overwhelmingly support the appropriate and continued use of phthalates in toys.

WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) November 21, 2006 -- As holiday shoppers everywhere start to think about finding the perfect gift, the American Chemistry Council urges those shopping for children to become informed about phthalates used in production of many plastic toys. A recent flurry of attention has surrounded phthalates, stemming from European Union's recent ban of the substances, but the American Chemistry Council would like to prevent unnecessary concerns and point to some recent historical facts and scientific data:

-- The primary compound used to make vinyl soft and flexible is a plasticizer called diisononyl phthalates or DINP, which is a phthalate.

…the end products containing DINP (clothing, building materials, toys and baby equipment) and the sources of exposure (car and public transport interiors, food and food packaging) are unlikely to pose a risk for consumers (adults, infants and newborns) following inhalation, skin contact and ingestion.

-- The Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted a five-year study on DINP in vinyl toys and concluded that there is "no demonstrated health risk" and "no justification" for banning its use.

Although DINP has been banned by the European Commission, the scientific risk assessment, published by the Commission in April 2006, concluded that "…the end products containing DINP (clothing, building materials, toys and baby equipment) and the sources of exposure (car and public transport interiors, food and food packaging) are unlikely to pose a risk for consumers (adults, infants and newborns) following inhalation, skin contact and ingestion."

The American Chemistry Council asks that consumers keep this safety information in mind while shopping this holiday season. To learn more about scientific evidence supporting the continued use of phthalates in children's toys, click here or visit www.phthalates.org.

About The Phthalate Esters Panel

The Phthalate Esters Panel (the Panel) of the American Chemistry Council is composed of all major manufacturers and some users of the primary phthalate esters in commerce in the United States. Panel members include: BASF Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, and Ferro Corporation. Teknor Apex Company, a major user of the materials, is an associate member. For more information visit the Phthalates Information Center.

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