Government of Canada Acts to Help Ensure Soft Vinyl Toys, Child-Care Articles and Other Consumer Products Are Safer

Information
June 2009

Preventing the use of six phthalates in soft vinyl children's toys and child-care articles

Canada is proposing regulations to prevent the use of six phthalates (DEHP, DINP, DBP, BBP, DNOP and DIDP) in soft vinyl children's toys and child-care articles.

Phthalates are a family of chemicals commonly used to make vinyl plastic, otherwise known as polyvinyl chloride or PVC, soft and flexible. Studies suggest that certain phthalates are hazardous to reproduction and development and may cause health effects such as liver and kidney failure in young children when products are sucked or chewed for extended periods.

Since 1998, phthalates have not been used in soft vinyl pacifiers, teethers, rattles, baby bottle nipples and other products intended to be mouthed by young children in Canada. Phthalates may, however, be found in soft vinyl children's toys and child-care articles not intended to be mouthed by young children. Given that children may suck or chew items such as vinyl bibs, school supplies or bath, squeeze or inflatable toys, Canada is enhancing its regulations to keep children safer. Other plastics used in the manufacture of children's toys and child-care articles, such as hard plastics, do not contain phthalates.

Until the phthalates regulations come into effect, Health Canada advises parents and caregivers to monitor their children's use of soft vinyl toys. If parents observe their children sucking and chewing on soft vinyl toys not specifically designed to be placed in the child's mouth, they should take these items away from their child.

Reducing the lead limits in consumer products

The proposed Consumer Products Containing Lead (Contact with Mouth) Regulations (also referred to as Group I), would limit the lead content for all affected products to a maximum of 90 milligrams of lead per kilogram of product (90 mg/kg), which is equivalent to a lead concentration of 0.009%. The products affected are defined as those intended to be or likely to be brought into contact with the user's mouth and include all toys intended for children under 3 years of age. The current lead limit for certain products is 600 mg/kg total lead; others are currently unregulated for lead content.

This proposed lead limit is among the strictest in the world. The proposed regulations will also give Health Canada the authority to prevent the import, advertisement or sale of affected non-compliant products in Canada and will allow for quick remedial action if an affected product with more than 90 mg/kg total lead is found on the Canadian market. These actions will help reduce levels of lead in Canadian products, which will lead to a reduction in the number of incidents of adverse health effects resulting from overexposure to lead. Exposure to high levels of lead can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, appetite loss, abdominal pain, constipation, fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability and headache. In severe cases, coma and death may occur.

The proposed lead limit would ensure that maximum daily intake of lead from these consumer products would not exceed the provisional tolerable daily intake for infants and children set by the World Health Organization, which is 3.57 micrograms of lead per kilogram of body weight per day (3.57 µg/kg/day).

These regulatory actions complement the Government of Canada's proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, which modernizes and strengthens product safety laws to further protect the health and safety of Canadians. This Act, otherwise known as Bill C-6, will improve the government's ability to take timely compliance and enforcement actions when unsafe products are identified. For more information on Bill C-6, please visit Health Canada's website.