There’s no defense for toxic toys
Re “Stop scaring us,” Opinion, Dec. 18
Dr. Henry I. Miller condemns efforts to ban phthalates, the toxic substances found in toys and other plastics. His screed contains many red herrings, including:
* He repeats the old saw that rats have different metabolism than people. So he’d rather test people? Animal testing to predict risks posed to humans by toxic substances is a well-established principle that provides the basis for the nation’s fundamental cancer policy and a host of laws seeking to protect us against this deadly disease. If a chemical can induce tumors in mice, we are not immune.
* He says “the dose makes the poison.” Although Miller does not appear to be a toxicologist, he must nonetheless understand the difference between acute and chronic exposure. For many toxics, chronic exposure to even minuscule amounts can cause long-term health effects, especially in children.
* Miller argues that we get more phthalate exposure in food than from plastic. What difference does that make? The same is true now of lead (about 60% since its removal from gasoline). Does that make lead safe?
Rachel Carson, author of “Silent Spring,” had it right when she noted that “we now have acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is part of nature, and his war is inevitably a war against himself.” Miller should read her book.
Al Meyerhoff
Studio City
The writer is past director of the Natural Resources Defense Council Public Health Program.
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Phthalates are plasticizing chemicals used in a variety of products, including such soft plastic toys as rubber ducks. Evidence continues to mount that they are hazardous to children’s health.
Levels of phthalates found in approximately one-quarter of American women are linked with genital defects in their male offspring, and high levels of another phthalate in homes are associated with asthma in children. Researchers have also linked phthalate exposure during pregnancy with premature birth.
Toys are certainly not a child’s only route of exposure. Ingesting even a small amount of phthalate from a toy, when combined with exposure from other items, could be unsafe. We should remove phthalates from toys and eliminate this route of exposure.
It is irresponsible to ignore the mounting evidence that phthalates can harm our children’s health. Chemicals not known to be safe for children should not be in use.
California has followed the European Union and Mexico in banning phthalates from children’s toys. It is time for Congress to do the same.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-Calif.)
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Miller left out some important points about phthalates. Estrogens and androgens control the development of many different tissues in the growing embryo, fetus, infant, child and adolescent. Disruption of this process can result in a variety of undesirable effects, including some diseases that may not become evident until years later. Because these hormones that drive development are often present in only very small amounts, it does not take much interference to change the normal outcome. Certain phthalates are well known to interfere with the action of these hormones. Humans did not evolve with phthalates in their environment, and the assumption that these fat-soluble chemicals are harmless is based on a naive understanding of the underlying biology. Legislation regulating their use is long overdue.
James T. Martin
Professor of Physiology
Western University of
Health Sciences
Pomona
