Abstract
In response to concerns over hazardous chemicals in children’s products, Washington State passed the Children’s Safe Product Act (CSPA). CSPA requires manufacturers to report the concentration of 66 chemicals in children’s products. We describe a framework for the toxicological prioritization of the ten chemical groups most frequently reported under CSPA. The framework scores lifestage, exposure duration, primary, secondary and tertiary exposure routes, toxicokinetics and chemical properties to calculate an exposure score. Four toxicological endpoints were assessed based on curated national and international databases: reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. A total priority index was calculated from the product of the toxicity and exposure scores. The three highest priority chemicals were formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and styrene. Elements of the framework were compared to existing prioritization tools, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ExpoCast and Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi). The CSPA framework allowed us to examine toxicity and exposure pathways in a lifestage-specific manner, providing a relatively high throughput approach to prioritizing hazardous chemicals found in children’s products.
Highlights
Children are uniquely susceptible to the myriad of environmental toxicants they are exposed to throughout development [1], many of which have not been fully evaluated for developmental, neurological, and other toxicities [2]
The goals of this paper are to develop a framework for the prioritization and identification of high priority chemicals reported under Children’s Safe Product Act (CSPA) and compare the results to other prioritization tools, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ExpoCast and Toxicological Priority Index (ToxPi) and make recommendations to improve the collection of data relevant for prioritizing action on children’s products
Toxicokinetic scores, based on chemical properties and observed absorption rates were above average for all three chemicals for at least one exposure route
Summary
Children are uniquely susceptible to the myriad of environmental toxicants they are exposed to throughout development [1], many of which have not been fully evaluated for developmental, neurological, and other toxicities [2]. In addition to the extensive array of chemicals found in children’s products, the unique ways in which children interact with their environments and their increased biological susceptibility contribute to concerns about potential health impacts. Children spend more time on or near the floor [8], increasing exposure to inhaled or ingested house dust, which can act as a reservoir for chemicals often derived from consumer products [9,10]. Because of their small body size, the dose associated with these exposures is proportionately greater than the dose adults receive [8]
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