A group of 50 patient organisations, healthcare professionals and scientists sent a letter to the UK Government highlighting concerns about the risks posed to children from harmful chemicals in toys, and calling for action[1]. The letter calls for the UK to align with the EU’s update to its toy safety regulation, which bans some of the most hazardous chemicals in children’s toys, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and chemicals toxic to the respiratory system and specific organs.
The EU’s updated regulation also introduces group bans on bisphenols and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which some people refer to as ‘forever chemicals’. The new law was recently approved by the European Council and will next need to be approved by the European Parliament before entering into force. EDCs are chemicals that disrupt the normal functioning of the hormone system and children are more vulnerable to EDCs because their organs and nervous systems are still developing. They have been linked to adverse health impacts such as certain cancers, reduced fertility, and impaired brain development. Examples of EDCs include certain bisphenols, PFAS and phthalates. You can find out more about these substances on the contamination pages of our website.
The signatories to the letter included midwives, doctors, cancer specialists and scientists researching the impacts of EDCs, and signatory Professor Paul Fowler from the University of Aberdeen emphasised that evidence has increasingly linked exposure to EDCs with ‘a whole range of effects from being born small for gestational age to effects on brain development and immune system development..’
[1] Letter to UK Government Highlights Concerns about Harmful Chemicals in Toys
