GERMAN HEALTH MINISTER ANNOUNCES BAN ON PVC TOYS

23 July 1999

Hamburg -- A long overdue product ban on PVC toys was announced in Bonn yesterday. Federal Health Minister, Andrea Fischer, is going to inform the Commission of the European Community (EU) in the coming days that soft-PVC baby toys will be banned within Germany. The regulation will affect soft-PVC toys for children under 3 years of age.

Phthalates-softeners in PVC plastics are known to harm liver and kidneys as well as the reproductive organs. Laboratory tests, commissioned by Greenpeace, found that some PVC toys release considerable amounts of these softeners. Children who regularly suck on their toys are subsequently exposed to the softener-substances.

In November 1997 Greenpeace removed more than one hundred of these products from the shelves of the American wholesaler 'Toys 'R' Us' and other toy retailers, in order to highlight the health risks for small children. Most wholesale distributors reacted promptly by removing the products from their stock. German producers abandoned any further use of PVC, switching to other plastics that need no softening ingredients at all. The new products are labelled 'PVC-free'.

As of spring 1998, most retailers in the German market including 'Toys 'R' Us' removed PVC toys from the shelves but due to the lack of any legal regulation PVC-products occasionally turned up in the market.

A draft regulation by the European Community (EU) had been criticised by representatives of the US industry and was then blocked by the former EU-commissioner Martin Bangemann. In order to protect their consumers, several EU-countries like Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Greece enacted national bans.

"The minister has taken the right step, following the example of countries, in which consumer's health protection is more important than the profit-interest of one industry", said Greenpeace's chemistry expert, Mrs. Judit Kanthak. "Greenpeace is calling for a phase out of any soft-PVC in hoses, structure-tapestry, inflatable products, floorings, roof coverings, cable casings or car-undercarriage protectives. All of these products continuously release softeners, which subsequently can be found in environments all around the globe"

In a report published last June, the German Federal Environment Agency assessed the use of soft-PVC as 'completely incompatible with the precautionary principle and with a materials policy which is sustainable', demanding a subsequent phase out.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Judit Kanthak, Greenpeace Germany Toxics campaign on +49 40 306 180 314 fax: + 49 306 180 130.

Visit www.greenpeace.de for more information.