Overview

Over the last year, millions of toys containing lead, a highly toxic element, have been pulled from store shelves due to the risk they pose to children. Unfortunately, Washington lacks vital protections that would keep toxic substances out of toys and other consumer products. As a result, many chemicals, known or suspected to be hazardous to human health and the environment, are regularly used in common consumer products.

Lead, for example, has been found in lunchboxes, kitchenware, toys, furniture, and clothing. Lead has been linked to various neurological complications, including mental retardation, and neurobehavioral effects, such as hyperactivity and lowered cognitive functioning. Yet while lead exposure is known to be dangerous, especially to children, federal consumer protections haven’t been updated in decades

Another unregulated group of toxins, known as phthalates, is also common in countless consumer products. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry uses phthalates as a softener to make their products more flexible. Because PVC is such a widely used material, phthalates can be found in everything from home siding to food packaging. In addition, phthalates are often used in personal care products such as shampoo, soap, hand lotion, cosmetics and perfume and often find their way into products marketed to children. Links have been found between phthalates and various health problems in humans. Phthalates have been shown to have severe effects on reproductive and developmental health, including lowered sperm count and abnormal genital development in males and early onset puberty in females. A 2003 study also found links between exposure to phthalates and premature delivery.

While state governments such as Washington and California, and other industrialized nations like the European Union have taken steps to ban phthalates, the federal government’s response has left much to be desired. Given the federal government’s lack of action thus far, it is vital that states follow California’s lead and ban phthalates in all products intended for children.

Lead and phthalates are just two examples among many of the pervasive use of toxic substances in children’s products. Despite the risks, there is almost no state or federal oversight of commonly used toxic chemicals in most consumer products in the United States., even those meant for children. There are no requirements for companies to tell consumers what’s in their products. And even the weak federal system that does exist is underfunded and inadequate. Chemicals aren’t tested for safety before they go into products and even when dangerous chemicals are found in people and the environment, they aren’t banned from use.