[ 24 September 2004 ]

EU decision to restrict use of phthalates in toys ignores EU risk assessment

An entirely political decision that misuses precautionary principle

The European plasticiser industry is extremely concerned by today's decision of the EU Competitiveness Council to adopt a Dutch proposal which would ban the use of three phthalate plasticisers in toys and childcare items and would restrict the use of three others.

The Dutch proposal, which will now go forward for a second reading in the European Parliament, would ban the use of three phthalate plasticisers - di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP) - in all children's toys and childcare items and would ban the use of three others - diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) and dioctyl phthalate (DNOP) - in toys and childcare items that can be put in the mouth by children under three years old.

However, only one of the six phthalates - DINP - is generally used in toys.

DINP recently underwent an EU Scientific Risk Assessment and it was agreed by Member State technical experts that children are not at risk from the use of DINP in toys - including from those intended to be put in the mouth.

Ignoring such an EU risk assessment has serious legal implications and indeed throws into doubt the whole of the EU risk assessment process.

DINP has been similarly investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the United States who also confirmed that there is no demonstrated health risk from the use of this plasticiser in toys.

European plasticiser producers fully support any efforts to protect the safety of children and would never knowingly compromise their health, which is why the industry has spent more than €130 million researching the health and environmental effects of phthalates.

"This is an entirely political decision that misuses the precautionary principle", said Dr David Cadogan, Director of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI). "In terms of overall plasticiser use, toys represents a very small proportion but the decision is nevertheless very concerning because it will inevitably force toy manufacturers to use alternatives about which far less known.

"We must remember that phthalate plasticisers have been used for nearly 50 years without a single known case of anyone having been harmed as a result and that there are now very comprehensive risk assessments available which show that they can be used safely in a very wide range of applications which continue to improve the quality of our everyday life," he said.

• Further information on the use of phthalates in toys can be found on the Phthalates in Toys Information Centre
• Further information on the plasticiser DINP can be found on the DINP Information Centre

For further information please contact:

Tim Edgar
European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates
Avenue E Van Nieuwenhuyse 4,
B-1160 Brussels, Belgium

Telephone: 0032 2 676 7363
Mobile: 0032 475 37 66 93