Protest demands ban of chemical in toys

With a thousand rubber ducks and campaign posters -- "Arnold, Don't pardon toxic toys!" -- activists Thursday sought to persuade Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign legislation banning potentially harmful chemicals from children's toys.

The governor hasn't taken a position on Assembly Bill 1108. But the measure to bar plastic softeners -- called phthalates -- from children's teethers, pacifiers, duckies, bath books and other small toys sold in California is stoking debate between the chemical and toy industries and public-health and anti-toxics advocates.

"Toys should be the last place where we should find toxic chemicals," Dan Jacobson, legislative director for Environment California, said Thursday at a Capitol news conference featuring parents, children and chewable yellow duckies made without the controversial phthalates. "We're all here to urge the governor to protect the safety of our kids."

Schwarzenegger has until Oct. 12 to decide whether to sign AB 1108. The ban on the manufacture and sale of children's products containing phthalates would take effect on Jan. 1, 2009.

Supporters of the bill are seeking to ban six types of phthalates. They point to studies that link the chemicals, which make hard plastics flexible, to early onset of puberty, testicular cancer and liver problems.

"When I heard about the chemicals in the toys, it was really a shock," said Kristina Acevedo, a Sacramento mother of four, as she clutched her 13-month-old daughter Bayleigh. "That's not what you expect to find in your children's toys."

Officials of the Toy Industry Association and the American Chemistry Council responded to the media event with a joint statement arguing that phthalates "have been thoroughly tested for well over 50 years" and have been certified for children's products by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Toy industry officials argue that the softeners are needed because more brittle plastics could break and cause choking hazards for small children. And the chemical industry charges that lab tests of phthalates on rats reflected higher concentrations of chemicals than in consumer products.

"A thousand rubber duckies and no science. I'll take the science," said Stevan Allen, a spokesman for the American Chemistry Council, responding to Thursday's news conference. "This chemical is indeed safe, and the public should not be concerned."

But backers of AB 1108, written by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, say small children chewing on toys containing phthalates is akin to them sucking on toxic lollipops. They point to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that phthalate levels are highest in children.

Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, argued that the European Union and 14 countries have banned or restricted phthalates in products for children.

"Science now tells us that even in real small amounts, these chemicals can have significant impacts," Jones said.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Peter Hecht can be reached at (916) 326-5539 or phecht@sacbee.com.