EU bans phthalates in toys.In September 2004 the European Competitiveness Council voted to ban three phthalates Phthalates, or phthalate esters, are a group of chemical compounds that are mainly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility). They are chiefly used to turn polyvinyl chloride from a hard plastic into a flexible plastic. from all products intended for children and to prohibit the use of three others specifically in toys and other items intended to be chewed or sucked by very young children. These chemicals, which are used to soften vinyl plastic, have been linked with reproductive and liver effects, and are known to leach leachv. leached, leach·ing, leach·es v.tr. 1. To remove soluble or other constituents from by the action of a percolating liquid. 2. from products that contain them. More than 900 tons of phthalates are produced each year. Once the measure has been adopted formally by the council it will be sent to the European Parliament European Parliament, a branch of the governing body of the European Union (EU). It convenes on a monthly basis in Strasbourg, France; most meetings of the separate parliamentary committees are held in Brussels, Belgium, and its Secretariat is located in Luxembourg. for a second reading. The European Commission European Commission, branch of the governing body of the European Union (EU) invested with executive and some legislative powers. Located in Brussels, Belgium, it was founded in 1967 when the three treaty organizations comprising what was then the European Community will be charged with overseeing the implementation of the ban. |
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