Medical/scientific panel finds flexible vinyl toys & medical items "not harmful.".

A panel of scientists and medical experts has concluded that the phthalate plasticizers DEHP and DINP in soft vinyl baby toys and medical devices (I.V. bags and tubing) are not harmful to either children or adults. The panel of 16 experts was convened by the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), N.Y.C. The panel was chaired by C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General and now senior scholar of the C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. The panel conducted no original research but performed a "comprehensive review of every piece of scientific literature on the topic," in Dr. Koop's words.

The panel included M.D.s and Ph.D.s from the following institutions: the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), University of Waterloo (Ontario), Jefferson Medical College/E.I, dupont Hospital for Children (Philadelphia), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), Michigan State University (East Lansing), University of California at Berkeley, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.), Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.), Harvard School of Public Health (Boston), Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Piscataway, N.J.), International Agency for Research on Cancer (Savannah, Ga.), and National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (Bilthoven, the Netherlands).

The panel concluded that "DEHP, as used in medical devices, is not harmful to humans even under chronic or higher-than-average conditions of exposure. DEHP confers considerable benefits to certain medical devices and procedures, and its elimination without a suitable substitute could pose a significant health risk to some individuals."

"Although results of animal toxicity tests in DINP suggest the need for thorough evaluation, the Panel concludes that much of this evidence has little relevance for humans and that DINP in toys is not harmful for children in the normal use of these toys. . . . To expand our knowledge of child exposure to DINP from toys, the Panel recommends that further studies be undertaken to document (a) children's contact time and mouthing behavior with toys and other objects, and (b) rates of release of DINP under realistic conditions."

Commenting on the report in The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Koop deplored what he called the "scientific deception" and "highly inflammatory scare campaign" conducted against DEHP and DINP by "activist groups" and "incendiary press coverage." He criticized "this ceaseless obsession" with "nonexistent bogeymen" as "an incredible waste of time." He said there are much more real and urgent public-health problems for concerned citizens to address. "The enemy is not tiny amounts of chemicals that have proved safe over many years."

Founded in 1978, the ACSH describes itself as "a public-health advocacy group advised by over 200 physicians and scientists" and as "an independent, non-profit consumer education consortium." ACSH says it "is dedicated to helping Americans distinguish between real and hypothetical health risks." It receives financial support from nearly 300 different sources, including non-profit foundations, trade associations, corporations, and individuals. For further information, contact Jeff Stier at 212-362-7044.

Meanwhile, the National Environmental Trust (NET) in Washington cautioned the American public "not to rely on the makers of chemicals for unbiased information about chemicals." It characterized ACSH as "an organization that accepts 76% of its funding from corporations, including the largest makers of phthalates." NET advises the public "to await the findings of legitimate scientific investigations on phthalates currently under way at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Academy of Sciences."

New Colors in Five Days

Global compounder A. Schulman Inc., headquartered in Akron, Ohio, is centralizing nearly all color formulating at a brand-new Color Technology Center in Sharon Center, Ohio. This move will cut lead times for color development from the previous three to four weeks down to five working days, Schulman says.

Whereas each of Schulman's eight North American and five international compounding plants performed its own color development, now only one PVC wire/cable compounder and a TPO plant will develop colors on-site. Recipes for engineering resins and polyolefins will be developed in the new center, which opened last month. It's equipped with five new injection machines plus blown film and bottle-blowing equipment. Regional offices and plants will be equipped with hand-held color spectrometers to aid in customer liaison. A second new facility, the Product Technology Center, also opens in Sharon Center this month, to centralize development of new compounds.

RELATED ARTICLE: NPRC Sells Operations To ELM Packaging Co.

Chicago-based National Polystyrene Recycling Co. (NPRC) has sold its operations to ELM Packaging Co., Memphis, Tenn. The operations will operated independently under the name Polystyrene Recycling Co. of America. ELM is a producer of PS food-service items at plants in Memphis; Troy, Ohio; and Fullerton, Calif.

NPRC has plants in Chicago and Corona, Calif. It was established by major PS resin producers in 1989 and has recycled over 200 million lb of PS in the last decade. Sources of recycled PS include curbside, drop-off, and commercial collection of clothes hangers, CD jewel boxes, foodservice trays, cups, and cutlery. Current shareholders in NPRC include Chevron Chemical, Dow Plastics, Fina Oil & Chemical, and Nova Chemicals.