LEGISLATION BANS PHTHALATES

Abstract

CONGRESS IS POISED to pass legislation reauthorizing the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), giving it more money and new authority. The most controversial provision, however, bans use of six phthalates in children’s products. The bill, H.R. 4040, was approved on July 29 by a House-Senate conference committee after weeks of struggle over the phthalate provision. Introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the measure mirrors a ban on phthalates in toys approved in California last year. “This will help ensure that our children are safe from dangerous chemicals,” Feinstein says. The bill would impose a permanent ban on three phthalates in objects used by children under 12: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and benzyl butyl phthalate. Three other compounds—diisononyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, and di- n -octyl phthalate—would have interim bans pending an additional 18 months of safety studies. The chemical industry fought the phthalate ban, calling it unnecessary. An American Ch...