Strollerderby

Put That Toy Down! It's Toxic!

Posted by Karen Murphy

test tubesAh yes, phthalates.  Ya can't live with 'em, ya can't live without 'em. I can't even pronounce 'em (and when I try to, it makes me think of fellatio, so never mind).  Anyway, that stuff that shall remain unpronounceable, what is it exactly?  Oh yes.  Chemicals.  And chemicals = bad!  And this stuff is in your nail polish, your flooring and your perfume, your sex toys, not to mention in your baby's toys.  That he puts in his mouth.   It's the stuff they mix with other plastic to make it nice and soft and pliable, and it's the stuff that was banned and then not banned in toys in San Francisco.

Although like many controversial subjects there is conflicting information about the effect of phthalates, many toy manufacturers voluntarily discontinued their usage in certain baby toys (notably rattles and teethers) way back in 1999, and these toy manufacturers have removed them from their entire product lines:  Brio, Chicco, Evenflo, First Years, Gerber, Mega Bloks, and Safety 1st. 


+ DIGG + STUMBLE

Comments

 

RachelZ said:

I guess it's a good thing that the only thing the baby actually likes to chew on is my leather wallet.

I'm sort of an ostrich about stuff like this, because if you really search hard enough, you'll find evidence to support the fact that EVERYTHING can kill you.  I'd rather be oblivious, I think.

February 24, 2007 9:11 AM
 

Karen Murphy said:

So you don't want me to tell you what's in that leather?

I'm with you on the ostrich thing.  We'd all become agoraphobes wearing masks and hazmat suits and turn our kids into Plastic Bubble Children if we took every single dire warning seriously.  You have to pick and choose.

February 24, 2007 10:10 AM
 

Renee said:

Thanks for the list of companies that don't use phthalates!  

February 24, 2007 10:21 AM
 

RachelZ said:

NO!  I don't want to know what's in the leather!  :-)  Given a choice between her chewing on the shopping cart handle (because I haven't gotten around to getting a cover-thingy yet) and my wallet, the wallet wins.  Even if it was a crazy-expensive pre-baby purchase.

Too bad my grandpa isn't still around - he could be enlisted to whittle all of her toys.  I do see her chewing on a towel as I type this, so perhaps we're on the right track after all.

February 24, 2007 4:52 PM

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