Toxic Chemicals Found in Brand-Name Baby Products
How safe are your baby’s toys? Not as safe as you think. On December 13, the Environmental Health Strategy Center put out a report identifying 650 brand-name products with hormone-disrupting toxic chemicals, including BPA and NPEs. Not relegated exclusively to baby products, the report reveals that common toys for young children, such as PLAYMOBIL figures and Chicco baby rattles, contain BPA.
BPA, we mentioned before, mimics estrogen, harming brain development and behavior in the process. The report mentions that 18 states have passed 70 laws regulating chemicals in products over the past decade, but a national measure, such as the Safe Chemicals Act, should be in place. Although only in initial stages at the moment, the Safe Chemicals Act would require chemical manufacturers to disclose health information and safety about compounds and restrict the most harmful. The act would replace the current Toxic Substance Control Act, which has had no changes in 35 years.
Although states are already enacting laws, companies found to have potentially-harmful chemicals in baby products are addressing the issue themselves. One is Johnson & Johnson. According to a November Associated Press article, Johnson & Johnson has been working to remove traces of toxic chemicals from baby products. In May 2009, Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo was found to contain two potentially carcinogenic chemicals, and the brand has experienced two-dozen recalls over two years. As far as improving the quality of baby toys, the company has since removed all phthalates from baby products.
Parents shouldn’t have to seek out green products to keep chemicals away from their children – especially those that harm development, like BPA. Enacting a national law regulating chemicals would be one step toward ensuring the greater availability of healthier baby products.
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3 Comments on Toxic Chemicals Found in Brand-Name Baby Products
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Report Shows Brand-Name Baby Products Contain Toxic Chemicals | GotoBabyGifts on
Mon, 9th Jan 2012 7:42 pm
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Report Shows Toxic Chemicals Found in Baby Products | babybloginformation.com on
Mon, 9th Jan 2012 7:49 pm
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Jessica Alba Debuts Line of Eco-Friendly Diapers | GotoBabyGifts on
Sat, 28th Jan 2012 6:25 pm
[...] manufacturers don’t list whether and which chemicals are contained in their products. However, because BPA harms brain and behavioral development by mimicking estrogen, 18 states have [...]
[...] banned from baby bottles in some states, such as California, BPA can be found in items ranging from soup cans to receipts [...]
[...] you realize it or not, many baby products are made with toxic chemicals, which enter the space a child lives in. As a result, organic and eco-friendly baby products are [...]
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