Little Threat Seen in Suspect Plastic Chemical

The Consumer Product Safety Commission staff has decided against recommending a ban on soft plastic toys made with phthalates, a controversial group of chemical additives that have been linked to cancer and kidney and liver damage in animals.

An agency announcement set for release today says the agency will cite studies showing that the amount of phthalates ingested “does not even come close to a harmful level.”

Even so, the agency has asked the nation’s toymakers to remove phthalates from soft plastic baby rattles and teething toys because significant uncertainties remain about the chemical.

For products already in the home, the CPSC is advising concerned parents as a precaution to discard any soft plastic teething devices, rattles or toys that their children may have in their mouths for long periods. “Few children, if any, are at risk,” said the agency’s Ronald L. Medford.

The agency says about 90% of U.S. toy makers have indicated that they will stop making phthalate teethers and rattles by early 1999.