8.1.2008 7:52 AM

Senate Passes Ban on Phthalates and Lead in Toys

Overhaul of Consumer Product Safety Commission Awaits President Bush's Signature

A ban is proposed in certain states for toys with phthalates like some vinyl rubber ducks.

Photo: Gianluca Fabrizio / Istock/Istock

By Dan Shapley

The Senate overwhelmingly approved an historic overhaul of product safety that would ban the use of lead and six forms of phthalates in toys and children's products.

The White House has indicated that President Bush will sign the legislation, despite opposition to the ban on phthalates.

Manufacturers and importers would have to test toys and other products for babies and kids before they are sold in retail stores, and lead would be nearly banned in all products designed for children age 12 and under. Further, the Consumer Product Safety Commission would be given expanded authority, budget and staff, and it would begin to maintain a database of consumer complaints that would be accessible to the public online.

Six types of phthalates, an ingredient in plastic that mimics human hormones and could affect reproductive and developmental health, would also be banned (three of them immediately) in toys and children's products.

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