Makers of children’s products are pushing toxic chemicals on kids by using a legal loophole that allows them to claim the tainted items aren’t technically toys, which are regulated far more stringently, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand charged Sunday.
Gillibrand cited a Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles pencil case that tested positive for a plastic additive called a phthalate in such high concentrations that the item would be banned if the feds considered it a toy.
“Because it’s not labeled as a toy, it’s exempt from current regulations,” she told a press conference. “We need to pass legislation that protects all children.”
Some kids’ products, including back-to-school items, are so laced with poisons that they should be kept away from tiny hands and mouths, said Gillibrand, calling for a total ban on several chemicals now allowed in common items marketed to children.
Phthalates are linked to cancer, birth defects and asthma, and the feds cap their presence in plastics used for toys to 1,000 parts per million. The pencil case tested by the New York Public Interest Research Group had more than 150,000 parts per million, plus traces of the other toxic substances, Gillibrand said.