A new report out this morning shows back to school items, branded with favorite kid’s characters, riddled with phthalates.
- Spiderman backpacks and lunch boxes had some of the highest levels
“If the Amazing Spiderman backpack were a children’s toy, it would be over 52 times the limit set by the federal ban.”
The study found:
- 80% of children’s back to school supplies contained phthalates
- 75% of children’s back to school supplies contained levels of phthalates that would be in violation of the federal ban for toys.
- The Amazing Spider Man Backpack contained an estimated 52,700 parts per million (ppm) and 14,900 ppm of DEHP in two different locations. If this product were a children’s toy, it would be over 52 times the limit set by the federal ban.
- Similar results were found for Dora the Explorer and Disney Princess branded items.
- Excessive levels of phthalates were found in everything from raincoats to 3-ring binders.
- Phthalates were present because the items were all made out of PVC
To see the full report head to the CHEJ website: http://chej.org/2012/08/backtoschool2012/
What’s the problem with phthalates?
- Phthalates are hazardous at low levels of exposure
- Linked to birth defects, infertility, early puberty, asthma, ADHD, obesity, diabetes and cancer.
- Disrupt hormones in the body.
- As plasticizers, it is very easy for phthalates to leach from products into the air in homes, school and workplaces, making its way to into our bodies. They have been detected widely in blood, urine and breast milk.
- Phthalates have been found in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.
The Center for Health, Environment and Justice who did the study has a great guide to PVC free back to school studies.
3 quick tips for avoiding toxic back to school items:
- Avoid items that come with this warning “This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects and other reproductive harm.” This means the product likely contains lead.
- Avoid items with shiny plastic designs
- Look for items that are labelled “PVC free”
Another reason to support the Safe Chemicals Act!
What about you?
Were you aware that back to school items can be highly toxic? Have you managed to find PVC free items for back to school? Leave a comment and let us know!
Let’s give our kids a fighting chance and demand that product manufacturers create PVC-free choices for our kids. Education is key. Thank you, Penelope!
Thanks for keeping parents informed. We did a low-cost project to make some school gear like backpacks and lunch boxes last longer. We re-personalized some hand-me-down gear to make it last, so we wouldn’t have to resort to the unsafe products you warn about. http://floursackmama.blogspot.com/2011/09/customing-kid-gear-second-time-around.html
Ugh, why are things made for children some of the most toxic products out there?!
I knew that many plastic items could be toxic, but I had no idea these products contain such high levels of toxic substances! This is anger-inducing and disconcerting, for sure!
bloody hell send this to my daughter and daughter in law both have young babies to say i am shocked is a under statement
Hear hear Ronnie! There are safer alternatives out there – our children deserve no less. Education is key!
What a great way to avoid these chemical exposures Anne! Talk about reduce, reuse and recycle!
Crystal, that’s the question I ask myself, time and time again.
Isn’t it ridiculous Gretchen? I mean seriously? I hope parents get angry and use their commercial clout to send a strong message to the people who make these products for kids.
I agree. It is beyond shocking.
The(water)pipe line is PVC ,how do we avoid it???
Which water pipeline are you talking about?
Thanks for keeping parents informed. We did a low-cost project to make some school gear like backpacks and lunch boxes last longer. We re-personalized some hand-me-down gear to make it last, so we wouldn’t have to resort to the unsafe products you warn about.
I don’t understand this. Backpacks are not toys. They’re not placed in children’s mouths etc. – that’s why the standards are higher for toys than for things that aren’t often in close contact with skin.
I’m NOT saying buy these products, I agree it’s far better to stay away from PVC, but I don’t think equating a backpack to toy standards is the way to do it.
Vote with your pocket definitely, don’t buy products which aren’t safe. That’s the best way to show manufacturers that their products aren’t good enough for our children.
Use that logic, and you’ll win over plenty of people. But pick arbitrary standards of comparison and – is it any wonder so many people get upset at us ‘greenies’?
I think the comment from Ranks (and I have no idea if my thought is correct) is that it’s actually very difficult to stay away from PVC totally. In every building there are PVC water and drainage pipes, PVC utensils and storage in the home, and in Europe many window frames are made of PVC or uPVC – they’re much easier to maintain than wood. Who pays the piper?
Your water pipeline should be buried in your walls and I would have thought are not easily accessed by people, so I would be less concerned about this. The issue of phthalates are a particular concern for items aimed at and used by children. In saying that, there are PVC free pipe options. Healthy Homes has this resource for alternatives. http://www.healthybuilding.net/pvc/pipes_report.html
Karen, your comment was worth a full post response, which is about to go up. Healthy Homes has a resource of PVC pipes and other types of PVC usage in construction. I’ve left a link under Rank’s comment.
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Other then that, very good blog!
Great post, really enjoyed it!
— Isiah
http://www.bigconceptdesigns.com
Everyone loves what you guys are up too.
This kind of clever work and reporting! Keep up the
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could you increase the amount of your posts, i would like to read them more often.
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[...] in your child’s backpack or lunchbox? Lots of nasty chemicals! Penelope from Toxic Baby explains what’s going on and what we can do about [...]