Congress has reached agreement on groundbreaking legislation to ban a family of toxic chemicals known as phthalates in toys and other children’s products. Used for decades in plastics production, phthalates have been shown in lab tests to disrupt the hormone system, causing reproductive problems. They are found in hundreds of household items.
“This long-overdue action is not only a victory for parents and children, but an encouraging sign that Congress recognizes that our chemical regulatory system needs reform,” said Jane Houlihan, Environmental Working Group’s vice president for research. “It’s time to start making sure products are safe before they are allowed on the market, not after we discover they’re building up in children’s bodies and causing problems.”
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EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.
