Raleigh, NC, 26 November 1997

Santa Claus led a Greenpeace and Clean Water Fund of North Carolina Toxic Toy Patrol through Toys R Us at Crabtree Valley today, taking hazardous vinyl (PVC) toys off the shelves. The toy patrol loaded shopping carts with vinyl toys for small children and delivered them to the store manager.

Santa urged Toys R Us not to sell vinyl toys, reminding the company that in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Indonesia, Toys R Us stores have stopped selling a variety of vinyl toys.

Santa said, I checked my list and found plenty of hazardous vinyl toys on it. You can’t keep selling vinyl toys, they’re not good for children. Santa added, Kids in America deserve the same margin of safety as kids in Europe. Toys R Us must develop an international policy to get rid of soft vinyl toys.

In September, Greenpeace released analyses of soft vinyl toys and found that 71 toys from 17 countries around the world contained 10-40% by weight of hazardous chemicals (softeners called phthalates). Further tests conducted by independent laboratories in the US found that may soft vinyl children’s products contain high levels of the hazardous metals lead and cadmium.

Recently, four countries have urged the toy industry to take action against soft vinyl, chewable baby toys. Between April and October, the Danish, Dutch, Belgian and Philippine governments warned toy retailers, distributors and manufacturers of the potential hazards of soft vinyl toys which can leach hazardous softeners when sucked or chewed.

The dominant softener found in the toys tested by Greenpeace has been shown in previous studies to be toxic when ingested by animals. Effects ranging from liver and kidney damage to reproductive abnormalities were identified. Another recent study also indicates that the most abundant phthalate found in the Greenpeace analyses shows some capacity to weakly mimic the hormone estrogen.

The toy industry - retailers and manufacturers alike must take responsibility for the health of babies and children. Greenpeace demands that soft vinyl toys be withdrawn from sale immediately, said Lisa Finaldi of Greenpeace.

In October, North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Children Environmental Health Branch sent a letter to the US Consumer Safety Product Safety Commission, urging Chairwoman Ann Brown to further investigate the potential hazards posed by vinyl toys and children’s products.

The entire life-cycle of PVC plastic is a polluting process. Its production involves highly toxic additives and generates hazardous chlorinated emissions and wastes. When burned in accidental fires or incinerators, PVC products are a significant source of dioxin.

For more information:

CONTACT: LISA FINALDI (919) 828-5202, MOBILE # 1-757-870-6387