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Toxic
toys
Take Action!
Making
Sure the Toymakers Tell Us What’s Up
After the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommended ceasing the use of
phthalates in toys, especially for younger children, various retailers and
toy manufacturers pledged to make change happen.
Unfortunately,
it remains unclear in many cases who has really done anything and, if they
have, how much. In fact, Generation Green thanked Mattel for taking the
initiative to find safer materials from which to manufacture children's
toys, and urged other manufacturers and retailers to follow that lead.
However,
it remains unclear how much even Mattel has done. They have not provided
any clear announcement about whether they have eliminated PVC threats from
their toys or how much they might have reduced threats if complete
elimination hasn’t occurred.
With the
pervasive uncertainty and confusion for parents and consumers, Generation
Green continues to advocate for a comprehensive and uniform policy.
Children’s toys, especially those designed for infants’ mouths, should
be proved safe prior to sale, just as the Food and Drug Administration
requires companies to prove the safety of pharmaceutical products before
they go on the market.
Generation
Green is pleased that many companies haven taken steps in response to the
concerns of parents and consumers. However, we urge all toys companies to
stop making toys with PVC plastic.
Mattel
set itself up as the take-charge leader in addressing the PVC problem
(Hasbro, for example, made no movement at all in the period right after
the CPSC announcement about PVC in toys). As such, we believe Mattel
should report back to us at Generation Green (as we have requested) and to
the public at large. They should tell us what has been done and what, if
anything, still needs to be done about PVC in their product lines.
Furthermore,
we call upon other toy manufacturers, such as Hasbro, to work toward
eliminating PVC use, to let us know what they extent of their activities
will be, and to set and announce a timetable for reducing or eliminating
toxins from their toys.
Contacting
Robert A. Eckert, Mattel’s chairman and chief executive officer:
Mail
To:
Mr.
Robert A. Eckert
Chairman
and CEO
Mattel
333
Continental Blvd.
El
Segundo, CA 90245
E-mail:
ballsonj@mattel.com
Sample
Letter
Dear Mr. Eckert:
It was
very encouraging in 1998 when you announced, on the heels of a warning by
the Consumer Product Safety Commission about PVC toy toxicity, that Mattel
would take the initiative to find safer materials from which to
manufacture children's toys.
But since that time, it
seems Mattel has been a bit silent. I hope this indicates something other
than a departure from your resolve. A decision to find biodegradable,
non-petroleum materials would indicate to me as a customer that you are
listening to our concerns as parents, grandparents and concerned citizens
in general. I am concerned that vinyl toys are still being used in many
products and are still available in stores. I hope your efforts will
eliminate vinyl from all of your toys. Better yet, I hope you already have
and just didn’t feel a need to highlight your efforts.
In the
interest of letting the public know, I urge you to contact the media and
organizations like Generation Green, Greenpeace and others to let them
know what you have done. If your efforts are still in progress, please let
the public and advocacy groups know your timetables and plans so that we
know you are on top of this very important issue.
Sincerely,
[Your
Name]
Contacting
Hasbro (or other retailers/manufacturers you might choose):
Mail To:
Mr. Alan
G. Hassenfeld
CEO
Hasbro
1027
Newport Ave.
Pawtucket,
RI 02862
E-mail:
consumer_support@hasbro.com
Sample
Letter (alter the
name and address as necessary):
Dear Mr.
Hassenfeld:
As a
(parent, grandparent, consumer) I am concerned that vinyl toys are still
being manufactured and are still available in stores. Of all plastics, PVC
is the most polluting, from production to disposal. It can also produce
super-toxins such as dioxin. Dioxin pollutes our air, water and food.
I urge
you to follow the example of other toy manufacturers who are exploring
biodegradable, non-petroleum materials for the toys that you make. Safety
and environmental friendliness are important factors in my buying
decisions.
If you
have already instituted such efforts, I urge you to contact the media and
organizations like Generation Green, Greenpeace and others to let them
know what you have done. If your efforts are still in progress, please let
the public and advocacy groups know your timetables and plans so that we
know you are on top of this very important issue.
Sincerely,
[Your
Name]
Contacting
the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Mail
To:
Acting
Chairman
Thomas Moore
Consumer
Product Safety Commission
Washington,
DC 20207-0001
Dear Mr.
Moore:
While I applaud the
CPSC’s effort in 1998 to publicize the toxic dangers PVC toys and baby
products pose to young children, it was left up to the toy industry to
voluntarily stop using phthalates and other toxic additives in PVC toys.
This does
not seem to be an area in which mere suggestions are sufficient. Toxins
leach out of PVC objects when sucked by babies and small children, and
they can cause kidney damage, interference with reproductive development
and other terrible problems.
Also, of all plastics,
PVC is the most polluting, from production to disposal. It can also
produce super-toxins such as dioxin. Dioxin pollutes our air, water and
food.
Phthalates should be
banned in toys, at the very least in toys that are used by children too
young not to know they shouldn’t suck on PVC objects.
In addition, I urge the
CPSC to work toward requiring testing the toxicity of all ingredients in
children's toys before they can be sold.
We need a
comprehensive and uniform policy in this area. Children’s toys,
especially those designed for infants’ mouths, should be proved safe
prior to sale. The Food and Drug Administration requires the same of
companies before they can market pharmaceutical products. Our children’s
safety deserves no less concern.
Sincerely,
[Your
Name]
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