Advocates lobby for tougher toy standards
OLYMPIA – Armed with a 20-foot rubber duck they inflated on the steps of the Capitol on Thursday, parents and environmental advocates are calling for tougher standards to address toxic chemicals in children’s toys.
“If it’s possible to send people to the moon, then it’s possible to make a safe rubber ducky,” Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, told rain-soaked families huddled around the creature. Last year’s wave of toy recalls, proponents say, suggest such restrictions are needed.
Dickerson’s bill, HB 2647, would ban making or selling children’s goods that exceed designated levels of lead, cadmium or a class of plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates (pronounced thal-lates). Violators could be fined, although retailers who unknowingly sell banned products wouldn’t be held liable.
The bill has cleared its first committee, and Speaker Frank Chopp said recently he expects it to pass the House.
“I mean, who wants your kids to be exposed to toxic toys, for God’s sake?” Chopp said.
No one objected to the lead and cadmium restrictions at a recent hearing, but the chemical industry says the phthalate limits are unwarranted. Unlike alternatives, an industry spokeswoman said, the compounds and their health effects have been studied extensively.
“We know everything about them,” said Marian Stanley, of the American Chemistry Council.
And the data suggest the chemicals pose no significant threat at the levels found in humans, said James C. Lamb, a consultant hired by the group. “The reality is that the dose determines the toxicity,” he said.
Yes, the chemicals get into the body, he said. But the levels are low and apparently harmless. With five children and two grandchildren, Lamb said, he worries about chemicals under the sink or falls down steps. “I do not worry about toys containing phthalates.”
Some at Thursday’s demonstration apparently do. The crowd briefly chanted “Free the ducky, phthalates are yucky!”
Washington lawmakers previously have been willing to break new ground on environmental rules for products. Washington recently passed limits aimed at products containing mercury and last year became the first in the nation to ban a class of toxic flame retardants. Some states, including Michigan and Minnesota, already have set standards for lead.
Children are exposed to many toxic chemicals, some of which likely interact and magnify problems, said Gretchen Lee, with the Breast Cancer Fund. And things other than toys may expose children to phthalates: shower curtains, plastics in cars, soap.
With kids unable to protect themselves from toxins, it’s up to lawmakers, Dickerson said.
“Past generations got the lead out of paint and got the lead out of gasoline,” she said. “This generation’s going to get the lead out of children’s toys.”