naturalnews.com
November 2009
Beginning Dec. 1, the city of San Francisco will begin enforcing a ban on the sale, distribution and manufacture of baby products that contain any level of the toxic chemical bisphenol A or certain levels of phthalates.
Both chemicals — which are used to harden or soften plastic products — can leach out of the plastic in baby toys and products every time an infant puts it in its mouth, causing possibly severe health problems.
San Francisco’s law is modeled after a ban that went into effect in the European Union earlier this year, after rising concerns over the health consequences of the buildup of industrial chemicals in the human body came to light. For instance, a recent study by Harvard researchers appearing in The Lancet found that hundreds and possibly thousands of common chemicals are causing widespread brain disorders in children.
Many San Francisco companies that manufacture and sell baby products — such as teething rings, dolls and waterproof books — say they will comply with the ban, but find it unnecessary, claiming their products only contain “safe” levels of the hazardous chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says its decades-old guidelines on “safe” human exposure to the chemicals fail to take into account hundreds of recent studies that link the chemicals with serious health disorders.
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