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« Harvard ethics investigation violates federal law | Main | In the news: October 30, 2006 »

Industry challenges ban on phthalates in kid's toys

By Matthew

Industry and trade groups are suing to overturn San Francisco’s newest ordinance aimed at protecting the city’s toddlers from a suite of chemicals shown to cause cancer and hormone disruption in laboratory trials. The ban prohibits the sale and manufacture of toys and products intended for children under the age of 3, if they contain phthalates—compounds used to soften plastics containing PVC and Bisphenol A.

San Francisco’s phthalate ban is based on the city’s "precautionary principle,” a landmark policy requiring chemicals be proven safe before they reach market. In the U.S. the norm is for chemicals to reach market on the “innocent until proven guilty” presumption until it can be conclusively proven that they are causing measurable harm to a population.

Straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle

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