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[ 05 July 2005 ]
EU decision to restrict use of phthalates in toys ignores EU risk assessment
An entirely political decision that misuses the precautionary principle
The European plasticiser industry is very disappointed and
concerned by today's vote in the European Parliament to ban the use
of three phthalate plasticisers in toys and childcare items and to
restrict the use of three others. Such stringent measures are
unnecessary and ignore scientific risk assessments.
The European Parliament voted in favour of a compromise proposal
which will 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 bans 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.
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 which can
be put in the mouth.
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.
"Banning a substance (DINP) which has been scientifically risk
assessed as safe, thereby forcing manufacturers to use alternatives
about which far less is known, does nothing to protect the health
of children", said Dr David Cadogan, Director of the European
Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI).
"European plasticiser producers fully support any efforts to
protect the safety of children and would never knowingly compromise
their health. This is why the industry has spent more than
€130 million researching the health and environmental effects
of phthalates," he added.
"However, based on a lot of exaggerated and often incorrect
claims about alleged adverse health effects from phthalates,
politicians have been misled into believing that children's health
is being endangered. Their decision to ban DINP in all toys which
can be put in the mouth is an entirely political decision that
misuses the precautionary principle.
"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," said Dr Cadogan.
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
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