IT’S THAT TIME of year again. The time of parties, presents, family gatherings and those last-minute lists toy purchases for the children in our lives. Despite Santa doing the bulk of the heavy lifting on that front, it’s also a profitable time of year for toy manufacturers. We live in a country that is part of the EU, where the standards of the quality of toys should be exceptionally high because of good governance. And yet, some toys on the market today aren’t necessarily free from the chemicals considered highly hazardous to human health.
As toys get unwrapped on Christmas morning, most will bear the EC label, which means that the toy has met certain EU safety standards. Since 1988, the EU has set down laws on toy safety, to make sure that toys do not put children at risk. Toys sold in the EU may not pose a choking hazard, be likely to cause an injury, or be a fire risk. However, when it comes to dangerous and toxic chemicals, you’d better watch out, because the EU’s laws are not up to scratch.
As one of the European Parliament’s negotiators on updates to the EU’s Toy Safety Law, I want to make sure that children are not at risk because of invisible but dangerous chemicals in their toys. This seems like it should be a popular opinion. Yet many involved in the negotiations are opposed to banning these chemicals in toys. So what are these substances that many politicians consider to be safe stocking fillers?
Firstly, there’s PFAS, which stands for per- and poly-fluoroalkylated substances. These are synthetic chemicals that are used in many industrial processes. There are over 10,000 chemicals in this group, and they are used in everyday items like cosmetics, waterproof clothing, non-stick frying pans and takeaway boxes.
PFAS are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they cannot be broken down in the environment. This means that they are very persistent and have long-lasting consequences for our health and environment. And scientists have proven that PFAS are already having an impact. They are in our soil, our water and the food we eat, and they build up in our bodies, leading to health problems including cancers, infertility, birth defects and immune system disorders.
Another group of chemicals, known as bisphenols, are particularly dangerous for children. They can lead to developmental delays and increased risk of obesity and cancer. Bisphenol A has already been banned in babies’ bottles because of its health impacts and is strictly limited in other products used by children. Unfortunately, we see what is called “regrettable substitution” — where manufacturers replace Bisphenol A with other bisphenols, which are not regulated in the same way as Bisphenol A. This is despite the fact that about half of bisphenols are known or suspected to be endocrine disruptors.
These dangerous chemicals should have no place in toys that children play with and put in their mouths. Parents and family members have enough to worry about over the Christmas season without wondering if the toys they buy are unsafe. We need specific EU rules to ban the most hazardous chemicals, including PFAS forever chemicals and bisphenols, from children’s toys. The Toy Safety Law is the ideal opportunity to reduce children’s exposure to these dangerous chemicals through a clear-cut ban on the most dangerous chemical groups.
Yet some EU politicians are on the naughty list this year, for saying that there is no need for such a ban. They say that there are other EU laws that will eventually phase out these chemicals. But if we interrogate that claim, we see that it isn’t in the best interest of children. A review of the EU’s chemical laws has already been delayed about four years and is expected to finally be in place in around 2029… at the earliest. The other process that could ban some of these chemicals also takes about five years per chemical. Using this route, it could take decades to ban dangerous chemicals from children’s toys.
So where is this opposition coming from? From concerns for the EU industries that produce these chemicals. But these chemicals are going to be phased out, however slowly. Other places are already banning dangerous chemicals in children’s products, including several US states, and Santa’s workshop. Industry will have to make these changes eventually — toys can as a sector develop new, non-toxic alternatives that can then be used to replace these chemicals in other, more essential products.
Toys don’t have to be complicated to be fun. They certainly don’t need to be full of dangerous chemicals. My Christmas wish is that all the negotiators will prioritise children’s health in the new Toy Safety Law.
Lynn Boylan is an Irish MEP.
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