How parents can use the Health Department's toxic-chemical list

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How parents can use the Health Department's toxic-chemical list

By | Published Tue, Feb 1 2011 9:20 am

On Monday, the Minnesota Department of Health published a list of nine “priority

chemicals” that pose a threat to the health of children and pregnant women.

These chemicals were selected from 1,755 “chemicals of high concern” that the

agency identified last July. The Health Department was required to compile and

publish (in collaboration with the Minnesota Polution Control Agency) both lists

by a 2009 state law, the Toxic Free Kids Act.

To get on the short list, the chemical had to be, among other things, a known or

suspected toxin (especially to the developing brain or reproductive system) and

present in children’s products.

Some of the substances on the list (lead, formaldehyde) will be familiar to

parents. Others (decabromodiphenyl ether?) won’t. But knowing what’s on the list

is one thing. Knowing what to do with the list is something else. For, to keep

these chemicals away from your child, you’re going to have to be an enterprising

and dogged researcher. Manufacturers and retailers are not always required to

let consumers know what’s in their products.

Here are the nine chemicals selected by the Health Department:

Bisphenol A. It’s found in kids’ toys and other products made of polycarbonate

plastic and in can linings, including the linings of infant formula cans.

Cadmium. Charm bracelets, pendants and other cheap children’s jewelry have been

found to contain remarkably high levels of this heavy metal. It’s currently

regulated in painted toys, but not in jewelry.

Lead. Banned long ago from paint, this heavy metal still surfaces in a variety

of children’s items, including purses, jewelry and painted drinking glasses.

Formaldehyde. A known carcinogen, formaldehyde has also been linked to asthma

and dermatitis. It can be found in all sorts of building materials, some

clothing (particularly wrinkle-free items) and household cleaning products. It’s

also found in some children’s bath products.

Phthalates (BBP, DBP, DEHP). These chemicals, which help make plastic soft, are

found in a variety of children’s toys and in vinyl shower curtains. They’re also

used to produce fragrances, and thus are in many cosmetic and personal care

products.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane. These flame

retardants are found in mattresses and textiles that kids can be exposed to.

They’re also in old TVs, computers and other electronic equipment.

What’s a concerned parent to do?

Rice, an environmental research scientist at the Health Department who

participated in the compilation of the list, pointed out to me in an interview

yesterday that three children’s products — plastic baby bottles and sippy cups

made with BPA, as well as children’s jewelry made with cadmium — have already

been banned from sale in Minnesota. In fact, we were the first state to pass

those bans.

But that, of course, leaves hundreds of other products that parents will have to

check out themselves to make sure they’re free of these chemicals. Rice

recommends contacting manufacturers and retailers to ask what’s in their

products, as well as reading through product-related federal websites, like that

of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. She also says to read labels

carefully, as some companies now advertise their products as being “BPA-free” or

“low-formladehyde.”

None of that sounds easy (or that reliable). But the Health Department hasn’t

been given the mandate (or the money) to take the next step and require

manufacturers to phase out these chemicals from their products.

Rice acknowledged that the Health Department’s list “is probably more of a

beginning than an endpoint” for consumers.

Take the burden off parents

When the Toxic Free Kids Act was originally proposed, it included a couple of

next-step provisions. One was a requirement that manufacturers report to the

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency any chemicals in their products identified as

being potentially harmful to children’s health. Another gave the state the

authority to restrict those chemicals if safer alternatives were available.

Both provisions were stripped from the final bill.

“They could have required that manufacturers phase out the chemicals, but that

regulatory piece wasn’t in the final bill,” said Kathleen Schuler, co-director

of the Minnesota-based Healthy Legacy Coalition, in a phone interview Monday.

“People shouldn’t have to do the research,” she added. “They should know that

all their kids’ products are safe. We should take the next step and restrict

these chemicals.”

Schuler’s organization and others intend to continue to encourage legislators to

give state agencies more authority on this issue, but, as she acknowledged, the

Minnesota Legislature is not currently in “an environment that’s favorable to

any regulatory or regulatory-like” actions.

In the meantime, Schuler hopes the Health Department will continue its research

and add more chemicals to the “priority” list.

“This list is definitely a good start, but it’s just a start,” she said. “We

know there are a lot more chemicals out there lurking in children’s products.”

One particular chemical she’d like to see on the list is another flame retardant

— pentabromodiphenyl ether (penta-BDE). It was added to textiles and foam

products (including crib pads and breast-feeding pillows) after the flame

retardant brominated tris was banned from children’s sleepwear in 1977.

“They substituted one bad chemical for another, which is why we really need to

fix the way chemicals are regulated,” said Schuler.

What you can do now

The Healthy Legacy website is a good starting place for parents who want to find

out which products are safe for their children (and themselves). You’ll find

tips about how to shop for chemical-free toys, cleaning products, plastics,

personal-care products and more — with product names often included. Another

great resource for parents is the Environmental Working Group’s website.

Schuler said her organization will soon have a tip list up on their website that

deals specifically with the nine priority chemicals identified yesterday by the

Health Department. In the meantime, she offered these shopping suggestions to

Minnesota’s parents:

* Avoid using old baby bottles or sippy cups unless you know they are

BPA-free.

* Avoid any canned food (buy frozen instead) unless the label stipulates

that it’s BPA-free. Many infant formula cans have BPA linings. If in doubt, use

powdered rather than liquid formula, as BPA is more likely to leak into the

latter.

* Throw out your child’s cheap jewelry. “Just get rid of it,” she said. “You

don’t want to take the chance of the child chewing on it.”

* Use fragrant-free products throughout your home. They’re less likely to

have toxic phthalates in them.

* Throw out your vinyl shower curtains; use non-vinyl, non-plastic ones.

“That ‘new curtain’ smell is the phthalates in the vinyl,” said Schuler.

* Make sure you purchase formaldehyde-free bath products for your child.

Also, look for formaldehyde-free furniture and household cleaners.

* Get rid of old TVs and computer monitors, which may contain some of the

flame retardant chemicals on the Health Department’s list. There’s evidence that

these chemicals may get into your house’s dust — and be picked up by your child.