Wal-Mart, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us phasing out, San Francisco, California, Europe, and Canada have banned phthalates; Australia phasing out use in baby bottles
9 states, Chicago, Multnomah County (Portland), OR, and Suffolk County, NY have banned BPA in baby bottles and sipper cups
Consumer Product Safety Commission reforms of 2008 eliminate lead and phthalates from toys and children’s products
Sugar-derived epoxy lining could replace BPA in cans
Phthalates/Bisphenol A
2009: Ban Poisonous Additives Act (to ban use of BPA in food and beverage containers and items used by young children) submitted in U.S. House and Senate
2009: BPA-Free Kids Act (to ban BPA in food and beverage containers and utensils marketed for children aged 3 or younger) introduced into U.S. Senate
Linked to reproductive, endocrine, and developmental damage, and cancer in animals
Triclosan
FDA: Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than regular soap and water in fighting infection; banned from soaps (2016), but still found in toothpastes
AMA: It may be prudent to avoid the use of antimicrobial agents in consumer products
Use restricted in EU, Canada, Japan
Food Dyes
None of the 9 artificial food dyes approved for use in the U.S. has been proven safe
E.U. warning labels required for six food dyes: “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”
Animal studies suggest some may be carcinogenic
Teflon (PFOA – perfluorooctanate)
Non-stick material made by Dupont and other companies until 2013, when they agreed on a voluntary phase-out (although substitutes no safer)
Chemicals released under high heat and when cookware damaged
Exposure linked with cancer, birth defects, gestational hypertension, heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, liver damage, and early menarche
Dupont hit with largest-ever civil penalty ($10.25 million) in 2006 for concealing health consequences and transmission from mother to fetus
Flame Retardants
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) found in furniture produced before 2004 ban
Endocrine disruptors
Associated with behavior and cognition difficulties; thyroid dysfunction in women
Provide no meaningful protection from fire; actually increase smolder propensity
Nanosilver- antimicrobial agent to inhibit odor-causing bacteria
Toxic Pollutants – Economic Costs
Chemical brain drain – value of lost IQ points in children worldwide estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars
Americans pay more than $55 billion annually for direct medical expenses plus special schooling and long-term care for pediatric diseases caused by lead
This excludes the greatest toxic pollutant - tobacco
Lead
Present at “actionable levels” in nearly 20% of water systems in U.S. (e.g., Flint, other cities, as well as many schools and child care facilities)
Found in car batteries, paint (pigment and drying agent), gasoline (anti-knocking additive), second-hand tobacco smoke, and some cosmetics