Right now, parents who want to avoid exposing their kids of phthalates have to carefully monitor the toys and children's products their young ones have access to. But when the initiative signed into law on Sunday goes into affect in 2009, parents in California will be able to breathe a little easier.
The bill, which bans the sale of products containing phthalates and intended for children 3 years or younger, sparked interest in enacting similar bans in states across the country. The Chronicle reports that "Lawmakers in Texas, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, Maine, Connecticut and New York are expected to introduce similar legislation in the coming months."
The slow and painful process of a state-by-state ban would lead toy manufacturers, sooner or later, to abandon the chemicals altogether -- after all, what's the point of making toys that can only be sold in a handful of states?
Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has expressed interest in modeling a national bill on the state's new legislation, and we applaud that effort. This much interest in a ban on phthalates ought to send a message to the industry and to Congress: people want safer toys, and they'll get them however they have to.
Learn how to minimize your family's exposure to phthalates.