Toys Containing BPA, Phthalates, PVC and other Chemicals
So, we were given a gift from Playskool for Holland’s birthday this year. It looked like a lot of fun with plastic balls that pop into the air…I am sure any kid would love it! But as a mom who is worried about what is really in the toys, I contacted Hasbro, who owns Playskool, to find out if they had jumped on board with other companies who are starting to do the right thing by getting rid of toxic ingredients in toys. Well, sadly, like all to nearly all of the toy giants, they are not doing right by our children. Here is how the email exchange went:
Organic Baby University to Hasbro:
| Do your toys contain any of the following?
Lead? PLEASE do not send me a form letter stating you follow all the guidelines etc. I have no doubt you do…I just want simple yes or no answers to each of these. Thanks Jennifer Hankey Hasbro to Organic Baby University: Dear Jennifer, Thank you for contacting Hasbro. Hasbro maintains stringent quality control standards in all aspects of the manufacturing process, in both Hasbro-owned factories as well as factories that are contracted to produce Hasbro-branded product. The Company regularly reviews and monitors a variety of quality control checkpoints during manufacturing, and tests the materials used in the production of our products at various stages of the process. Specific to the issue of lead paint, paints used on our products are screened, tested and often re-tested at factories manufacturing Hasbro product throughout the world, including the United States and China. I want to assure you all Hasbro products meet and exceed all federal and safety guidelines. However, if you have specific products in mind, please let me know and I will be most pleased to check on Phthalates, BPA and Phthalates. We want to assure you that we are dedicated to maintaining quality products and service. We hope you and your family will continue to enjoy our products for many years to come. Again, thank you for contacting us. Organic Baby University to Hasbro: You did not answer the question so I will assume that some of your products do contain these items. Then how about your Playskool Explore and Grow? Does that contain Hasbro to Organic Baby University: Dear Jennifer, Thank you for your email. There is a large body of scientific evidence that supports the safe use of BPA in toys and children’s products. We understand that the FDA as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) support BPA’s safe use in products, and, at Hasbro, we will continue to defer to these bodies as the final authorities. PVC and its softeners (called “Phthalates”) have been widely studied by scientific bodies in the US and in Europe, who have concluded that they are unlikely to pose any health risk to consumers (including children and infants). We believe based on scientific evidence that PVC in toys presents no health risk to children. Hasbro’s toys are designed to be compliant with all current laws around the world, including those relating to PVC. For more information on PVC, please go to www.cpsc.gov and to www.toy-tia.org. If BPA is further regulated or restricted by FDA in the future, Hasbro will comply with all such regulations. I want to assure you all Hasbro products meet and exceed all federal and safety guidelines. Again, thank you for contacting us. Summary So there you have it! Another company that would rather try to tell consumers that these endocrine disrupting chemicals are safe (even when we know better!) than do the right thing by our children and provide safe, non-toxic toys! Europe, Canada and other countries have already banned many of these chemicals but the US refuses to due to heavy lobbying by the chemical and toy companies. Even more sad isHasbro is a HUGE company who owns TONS of other labels. Maybe your child is older than mine and is no longer putting everything in their mouths so you think it is not big deal. Well, if it was only that easy. These plastics are believed to degrade and release a dust that contains the chemicals that they are made of into the air. So you child who may not be mouthing the chemicals, is probably inhaling them directly into their system. Also, there is new research debunking the idea of the “low dose theory”-that the amounts found are so low that they aren’t harmful. These studies are showing that there is harm, especially to fetuses and children thousands of times below allowable levels. The EWG found these chemicals in the cord blood of newborns, showing babies are being exposed before they are even born. These chemicals have been linked to birth defects, cancer, premature puberty in girls among other diseases and disorders. So you will need be careful purchasing your child’s toys. Hasbro owns everything from Playskool, Tonka, Easybake, Nerf, Play-Doh, and GloWorm just to name a few. For a full list click here. We as the consumers have all the power to stop these chemicals from being in our children’s toys! We vote by the products we purchase. I know it is tough to avoid these big toy companies and their fun toys….but if you want the toy companies to clean up their act…it is the only way to make that happen! To learn more about the dangers of BPA, phthalates, PVC, you can watch either of our classes or click on the following links |
