Is there a comprehensive guide anywhere to all of these toy/plastic etc safety issues?

[fivi2]

Okay - I know I am late to the game on all of this, but I get confused!
Is there a resource that explains what the dangers are for all of thse various issues? Lead in toys, lead in other products, plastics (toys and other products) etc. I guess I assumed that lead was only an issue in paint. But everyone is dumping unpainted plastic toys too? Is this for lead or for other reasons? There are concerns about pthlalates (okay, I have no clue how to spell that) and I honestly have no idea what those are. And then certain number plastics are bad. I keep seeing various threads, but sometimes they seem contradictory and few explain the different issues. I have problems with the waste (and cost!) involved in dumping and rebuying, so I would like to figure out what the risks are...

So - I am not trying to start a debate on what we should or shouldn't do - obviously every one has a different comfort level, and not everyone can afford to clean out their house and start over.

I am simply looking for a resource that can give me a breakdown of what we are talking about and what the risks are (generally speaking). Anyone know of any resources that explain all of this?
Thanks

[brittone2]

www.thegreenguide.com

www.ewg.org (can look up cosmetic products issues in the Skin Deep website. They'll have info on parabens, flame retardants, phthalates)

www.checnet.org

www.ourstolenfuture.org (links to research on main page)

BPA:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/government/85/8516gov2.html
eta:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/bpa

PVC/Phthalates:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/83/8346specialtychem4.html
ETA: (look at the dates...it isn't a new issue. We as parents should be demanding this stuff NOT be in our children's toys and household products).
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/47/lead
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/88-89/lundquist2

Phthalates, BPA, hormone disruption, damage to ovaries, etc.:
http://pubs.acs.org/email/cen/html/031207105801.html
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/109/cdc
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/BGG/personal
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/45/toys (again, this article was from *ten* years ago and we're still dealing w/ this thanks to lobbyist efforts on behalf of the powerful plastsics industry).

BPA/Phthalates, weight gain/insulin resistance
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/121/fat

Phthalates:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/int/phthalates

Quick summary:

Bisphenol A is in a lot of clear, hard plastics. Nalgene water bottles, baby bottles. It is also in other products including dental sealants, the linings of canned goods, beverage containers, etc. It has been linked to central adiposity/insulin resistance in men, and is a hormone disruptor.

Phthalates are used to make plastics/PVC more flexible/softer. They can also be a component in "fragrance" on things like baby/cosmetic products (soaps, lotions, etc.). They often aren't labeled as anything other than part of what makes up the ingredient listed as "fragrance" so you can't tell unless the product is specifically made phthalate free. They are also in things like nail polish. A lot of teethers contain phthalates. Again, hormone disrupting. A consumer group a few years ago found that many of those companies that labeled their toys "phthalate free" couldn't be trusted.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20051122/unsafe-toys-still-on-store-shelves

Vinyl/PVC often contains lead, which is used to make plastics softer/smoother. This has been found in bibs, a large proportion of baby dolls (unless cloth or specifically made to be PVC-free, which isn't common). PVC is used in electrical cords as an insulating material (where the lead comes into play), almost all artificial christmas trees contain lead, etc. Lots of toys contain vinyl/PVC.

Even in plastics, there is still paint/dye used to color the plastics. Red and yellow can be particularly problematic. It doesn't have to appear painted. The pigments themselves contain lead, which is why it has been found in lipstick, etc. in recent testing. Anything w/ vinyl/PVC is potentially problematic IMO from a health standpoint.

No one knows *exactly* how dangerous each of these are. Safety studies in the past can't always be trusted as in some cases, private industry (read: plastics makers) contracted out their safety studies to a particular group, known as Sciences International, which did much of the supposed safety testing, and found no problem with things like BPA. In the meantime, lots of non-industry associated groups were raising concerns. The government actually hired Sciences International themselves to work on gathering safety information for them, before someone *finally* realized this group had done work for many plastics manufacturers in the past. Obvious conflict of interest...so SI was eventually removed from working on the reports. Also, some industry groups used a particular strain of mouse that is *not* very sensitive to the effects of estrogen, so when you put estrogen-mimickers (which many plastics, etc. are in the body) into them, they don't show much of an effect, because they aren't sensitive to it in the first place. This is why I'm skeptical of many of the studies saying these products aren't a problem, and why as a parent I don't trust the government to keep my kids safe. Sciences International never, ever should have been hired. It should have been crystal clear there was a conflict of interest had the government panel done their homework.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i17/8517news4.html


Also, something that frustrates me tremendously is that we don't fully understand exactly how dangerous each of these chemicals are. However, what is even worse, is that right now most research is geared toward looking at them individually (how bad is BPA?). But realistically, almost all of us have *multiple* estrogen disruptors floating around our bloodstream at any given time from industrial sources. We have parabens, phthalates, BPA, pesticides, etc. *all* of which is hormone disrupting. So looking at their effects individually, in isolation, isn't even exploring what we're *really* exposed to IMO.

The problem is cumulative body burden...how many toxins we're exposed to over a long period of time. Any one of these chemicals may be a problem, but when you look at the mix of chemicals, over a long period of time, it becomes much more concerning, IMO. Looking at the effects individually isn't really reflective of our real-life exposure, which is to multiple estrogen-mimicking, hormone disrupting chemicals simultaneously.

IMO, we as parents shouldn't be expected to find this information, try to locate safe products, etc. IMO, the change needs to come from us, standing up to our lawmakers as parents (and we mamas and dads are a powerful group!!) and demanding that manufacturers get this crap out of our kids' toys. Really. This has been reported on for more than 10 years, and we're still dealing w/ this crap. Rather than scrambling around being forced to *try* to figure out what is and isn't safe, we should be demanding our legislators take action to get this stuff out. of. toys. As parents, we're a powerful group of people, in our numbers, our votes, and our dollars.

Somewhat lengthy, but *excellent* article below:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/in-the-news/environmental-health/environmental-health/toxic-toys

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Policy/2006/2006-0107ab319.html

edited to add some links

sorry for the soapbox, btw ;) jumping down now ;)

[fivi2]

Wow - thanks! Great information!

[Mirthful]

Beth,

Thank you SO much for taking the time to put all this information together! Although some of the information is scary (we used Avent baby bottles), I'm actually finding it liberating to finally have some research to make an informed decision, rather than just blindly reacting to each new recall or news article, like the Consumer Reports one.

Thanks again!
Kate

[citymama]

THANK YOU Beth, for taking the time to compile the info and share it with us. It is extremely important for every parent to know this stuff and make informed decisions about what we buy and use for our kids and ourselves.