Coalition asks U.S. to ban soft vinyl toys

Abstract

A coalition of 12 environmental, consumer, and religious groups has formally petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), seeking the immediate removal of soft polyvinyl chloride toys from U.S. stores. The groups claim that when small children chew on such toys the plasticizer diisononyl phthalate (DINP)—which makes up 17 to 40% of the material—leaches from the toy and can be ingested at a rate sufficient to cause possible kidney and liver damage. Although scientists agree that DINP would cause kidney and liver damage in humans at high concentrations, they do not agree about whether soft vinyl toys release enough DINP to pose a danger. Industry groups such as the Vinyl Institute and the Phthalate Esters Panel of the Chemical Manufacturers Association maintain that vinyl toys are safe and have never harmed a child. The industry would support a performance standard for DINP leach rates from vinyl toys, says Mark A. Sofman, manager of industry ...