EU BAN ON SOFT PVC TOYS: HEALTH PROTECTION SURRENDERED TO CHEMICAL INDUSTRY AND US PRESSURE, SAY GREENPEACE

1 July 1998

Amsterdam -- Greenpeace said the European Commission had given in to US government and chemical industry pressure in today's decision to abandon EU-wide emergency restrictions on soft PVC (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl) toys for infants. Consumer Affairs Commissioner Emma Bonino was unable to revive an emergency ban following her one vote defeat at the June 10th Commission meeting.

While acknowledging concerns about the exposure of children to phthalates in soft PVC toys, the Commission merely recommended to Member States to take appropriate measures nationally to ensure a high level of child health protection (1). Member States are invited to check the level of migration of phthalates from soft PVC toys although the Commission concedes that there is no standardised method for measuring such migration.

"Even backed by EU scientific experts that confirmed health risks to children from soft PVC toys, the European Commission still capitulated to the pressure from chemical industry and US government and passed the buck back to the Member States", said Axel Singhofen of Greenpeace. "The Commission documents the hazards but fails to act. The European Commission has herewith revealed its ongoing political bankruptcy in the field of consumer health protection - nothing has changed after BSE, the protection of consumer's health once again became the victim of the wealth of multinationals" he added.

The hazards from soft PVC toys were the first task given to the newly formed Scientific Committee in the wake of the BSE crisis. New scientific committees had been formed and Bonino's responsibilities had been strengthened to satisfy the European Parliament after the BSE scandal. The Parliament had threatened to send the Commissioners back home if the Commission did not restructure to ensure proper consumer protection.

The European Commission will make any further Community action depend on the results of a Dutch study in which human volunteers will suck on soft PVC toys in an attempt to quantify the exact migration of phthalates. However, the chemical industry is actively participating in these tests and even provides tailor-made samples.

"Not only does the European Commission accepts that babies ingest hazardous chemicals in spite of the wide availability of non-hazardous alternatives, it also puts future action in the hands of those who produce the hazard", Singhofen added.

Memos between the US government in Europe and Washington D.C. reveal close cooperation with EU and US chemical industry in an attempt to thwart European-wide restrictions on soft PVC toys (2).

Despite the efforts of the US and the chemical and toy industries, a growing number of EU countries are supporting more stringent measures. In May, the Swedish government proposed a legal ban on softeners in toys for children under three, joining Austria and Denmark in proposing regulatory action. Several German toy companies have now replaced their PVC toys with alternatives, labeling them clearly as `PVC-free'. Others like Lego are eliminating soft PVC toys from their product line.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Axel Singhofen, Greenpeace International, tel. +32 2 280 19 87
- Luisa Colasimone, Greenpeace Communications, mobile +31 6 53 66 29 70

(1) In April, the Scientific Commit tee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (SCTEE) found that the chemicals normally used to soften PVC toys such as teething rings leached in excess of European Union allowable levels. The most common softener used in toys was found to leach out of the toys at levels more than 10 times above what the Committee considered allowable.

When asked further questions by the Commission in June concerning the seriousness and immediateness of the hazards posed to children from the toys, the SCTEE responded that the risk "is not sufficient to fall within the `life-threatening' category", but that "the present concerns are related to general long-term toxicity including liver and kidney damage".

Soft PVC toys contain substantial amounts of hazardous softening agents, normally between 10 and 40% of their weight. These chemicals, known as phthalates, are known to leak from PVC products during use, especially when pressure is applied, such as a small child sucking or chewing on a toy.

(2) Copies of the documents, (obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request in the US), are available from Greenpeace.

Click here to read EU Emergency Action on Soft PVC Toys - a Political Chronology"