Mythfact
MYTH VS. FACT
MYTH 1: Phthalates are hazardous to children’s health.
FACT: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) studied DINP and concluded there is “no demonstrated health risk” from its use in toys and “no justification” for banning its use. The Centers for Disease Control also found that average human exposure to DINP is far below safety levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency. ACSH convened a Blue Ribbon Panel in 1999 chaired by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, which reviewed the scientific literature on phthalate exposure. Dr. Koop concluded that “the panel’s findings confirm what the US Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have been saying about these products all along. There is no scientific evidence that they are harmful to children or adults.”
MYTH 2: Our children would be safer if there were a national ban on phthalates.
FACT: CPSC has warned that “If DINP is to be replaced in children’s products the potential risks of substitutes must be considered. Weaker or more brittle plastics might break and result in a choking hazard.”
MYTH 3: EU banned phthalates based on evidence that they were harmful to children.
FACT: The EU banned phthalates before their comprehensive risk assessment on DINP was published. The EU risk assessment determined no risk reduction required and that the use of DINP in infant toys is acceptable. Commenting on the EU’s findings, Dr. David Cadogan, Director of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI), stated that “after such resounding regulatory conclusions from the EU, downstream users can continue to use DINP with the utmost confidence.”
MYTH 4: Evidence of phthalates can be found in humans in toxic levels.
FACT: Studies show that only a small fraction of the general population has any measurable level of DINP metabolites in their urine. These are extremely low, and are not at toxic levels. Dr. Henry I. Miller, a former official at the FDA and NIH and a fellow at the Hoover Institution, stated it is the “dose that makes the poison,” meaning “the mere presence of something in the body does not imply harm; one needs to know the dose and length of exposure, what the substance does (if anything) in the body. Virtually any substance, including water, can be toxic at high enough levels.”
MYTH 5: DINP, the most common phthalate in children’s toys, can cause significant harm to infants even in low doses.
FACT: The CPSC rejected a national ban on vinyl toys in 2003, after conducting rigorous studies to determine likely exposure to DINP. The report concluded that “for the majority of children, the exposure to DINP from DINP containing toys would be expected to pose a minimal to non-existent risk of injury”.
MYTH 6: Peer reviewed studies show that phthalates are harmful.
FACT: The studies frequently cited in these reports are based on animal not human testing; others have not been peer reviewed and do not include laboratory research. They seek to establish cause and effect where there is no basis for the claim.
