GREENPEACE ERECTS GIANT BUILDING BLOCKS AT NEW YORK TOY FAIR TO PROTEST VINYL TOYS

9 February 1998

NEW YORK CITY -- The environmental organization Greenpeace today erected a pyramid of oversized children's toy blocks spelling out "NO PVC TOYS," at the opening of the annual American International Toy Fair in New York City.

Greenpeace has been protesting internationally the continued use of vinyl (PVC) in children's products, including toys, which have been shown to contain significant quantities of lead, cadmium and chemical softeners known as phthalates.

Independent studies commissioned by Greenpeace in 1997 revealed that these materials, used to stabilize and soften vinyl products, are not totally bound to the plastic, and can leach out when children handle and chew on the toys.

"We should not have to fear that our children's health will be harmed by their toys," said Lisa Finaldi, Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner. "Greenpeace is calling on toy makers and retailers to protect our children from the dangers of PVC by eliminating this poison plastic from their products and store shelves."

Lead poisoning is widely recognized to be one of the most serious threats to children's health. Even very small doses can cause permanent damage to the nervous system and to intelligence. Cadmium is usually considered to be five to ten times more toxic than lead.

Phthalate softeners are toxic when ingested by animals, with health effects ranging from tumors and liver and kidney damage to reproductive abnormalities.

In several countries, governments have urged manufacturers, retailers, importers and licensors to stop selling soft vinyl toys for children under age three. Austria and Denmark will ban hazardous additives in soft PVC.

In the US, a Greenpeace report published in October 1997 revealed alarming levels of lead and cadmium in many PVC children's products, prompting the Consumer Product Safety Commission to request that manufacturers eliminate lead that can reach children from household, school, and recreation products.

Despite these serious warnings, the Toy Manufacturers of America and the large manufacturers such as Mattel and Hasbro continue to defend vinyl toys and children's products, as evidenced by some of the 1998 products introduced at the Toy Fair.

"What more will it take for these toy manufacturers to heed the warnings?" said Greenpeace scientist Joe Di Gangi. "Only profit and greed could motivate them to ignore what responsible companies already know: its time to get PVC out of 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 and secondary hazardous wastes.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
- In New York, at Toy Fair: Lisa Finaldi, +1 917-842-2523 or
Deborah Rephan, +1 917-842-3826;
- In Washington, DC: Rick Hind, +1 202-319-2505