It seems that Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman (R-Irvine) and the other Republican Senators from Orange County have no problem with toxic chemicals in children’s toys sold in California. Even though the Consumer Products Safety Commission asked the toy industry to remove Phthalates from soft rattles and teethers as a precaution until additional federal tests are completed, Ackerman and his gang of boys said no to a ban.
Unfortunately one of Ackerman’s boys was none other than our own Democratic Senator Lou Correa. Yes the husband of a physician, and father of four children, voted against protecting kids from poisons in toys. Some things in life are just stranger than fiction. I have come to expect this type of wait and see crap from the reeps. But Lou Correa!?
Please Lou, get a grip on reality. You fought for children’s health care in Orange County as a Supervisor, but have voted against universal healthcare for all when you got back to Sacramento… and now this!?ÂÂ
Calif. Toxic Toy Ban Passes Senate; Will Governor Sign?
Ban on Toy Chemicals, Including Phthalates, Proves a Hard Sell
 By Nannette Miranda
KABC: (video available on their site)
The state Senate has passed legislation that would ban a list of toxic chemicals from toys sold in California. One of the chemicals in question is Phthalates, which is found in most plastics. Now it heads to the governor’s desk, though it is uncertain if he will sign it.
Despite the recent headlines of major recalls of lead-tainted toys, a proposed state ban of a different chemical used in toys was not a slam dunk  it took a lot of arm twisting on the state Senate floor all Tuesday afternoon, and only late in the evening did the last two “yes†votes came in.
Phthalates are used to soften plastics and have been linked to reproductive damage in lab animals.
“There are countries in Europe –14 other countries  that have banned this chemical,†said state Senator Dean Florez, D-Shafter. “We’re simply asking for an ‘Aye’ vote.â€Â
Most Republican senators and some moderate Democrats voted no because the last study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded the most common Phthalate, DINP, is safe and that few children were at risk.
“The Feds have a lot more resources to put into this thing than we do. And if they studied it and said it’s not a problem right now, I think we got to go along with that,†said state Senator Dick Ackerman, R-Irvine.[..]
Until more scientific research can be done, the Consumer Products Safety Commission asked the industry to remove Phthalates from soft rattles and teethers as a precaution. For now it is voluntary.
Most Republican senators and some moderate Democrats voted no because the last study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded the most common Phthalate, DINP, is safe and that few children were at risk.
Chris:
There’s no evidence Phthalates are poisonous. Ackerman and Correa are acting like grown-ups. Kudos to them for not being hysterics.
Matt, you may want to read the link on Phtalates in the post. In particular the following paragraph.
Over the past several years, debate has grown in the regulatory world about what to do about phthalates. Industry argues that years of phthalate use without visible harm prove product safety. Critics counter that animal studies establish plausible risk but that the relevant human epidemiological studies focused specifically on the impacts of fetal exposure simply haven’t been done. They point, moreover, to the fact that human health endpoints consistent with phthalate damage are found in animal experiments. They also point out that certain exposures, particularly those associated with children chewing on soft polyvinyl chloride toys and patients receiving intravenous medication through polyvinyl chloride equipment may lead to very high exposures. [The CDC report, above, adds to that list of high exposure concern: the fetuses of pregnant women using cosmetics containing phthalates.]
Absence of data proves only ignorance. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics entered the debate in June 2003, issuing a report in Pediatrics that recommends research on phthalates effects on the fetus and infants. Their review of the literature found that no studies had directly addressed this issue, yet animal research clearly documents harm and data from the US Centers for Disease Control shows widespread exposure.
Wow, Lou sided with Republicans. Big suprise.
I liked that district much more when a real leader, a real progressive held that seat…