Friday, November 26, 2010

PVC update

Someone commented on my post about  pressuring Toys R Us to stop selling toys made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and wanted to know why we weren't pressuring the toy manufactures rather than the toy distributors.  The problem is, 98% of the toys that were tested by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) and
Teamsters Office of Consumer Affairs that tested positive for PVCs were made in China!

Toys R Us promised two years ago to make progress on PVCs, lead and other compunds in their toys.  from CHEJ's report:
Toys “R” Us’ Broken Promise: PVC and Organotins Widespread in Toys and Packaging
This investigation found that, despite its commitment more than two years ago, Toys “R”
Us continues to stock and sell an extensive assortment of toys and infant products that are
made of and packaged in PVC. These toys and packaging were also found to contain
organotins. Almost all of these toys were made in China.
Toys that tested positive for PVC include Barbie, “Toys Story 3” Woody and Buzz Lightyear
figures, Disney Princess Royal Giggles doll, Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Hangout, Nickelodeon’s
Dora the Explorer and Diego figures, Sesame Street Elmo Faucet Cover, Club Penguin figurines,
Imaginext toddler action figures and many others, from dolls and balls, to baby bath time toys
and products, and even My Name Sippy Cups. PVC was also found in toys whose brands are
owned by Geoffrey LLC, a subsidiary.
Read the report and then take action.  Aren't we all getting a little sick by corporations profiting at our expense?  

1 comment:

Matt P. said...

It doesn't much matter where these toys are manufactured, since pretty much all the ones listed are brand names held by US companies (Mattel, Disney, etc.). Seems like it would work better to pressure them into requiring their products to be made PVC-free, or at least not license their names to manufacturers that use PVC.

Seems that would go a lot further than targeting Toys R Us, since if they were to stop selling Barby and Toy Story dolls people looking to buy them would just find them somewhere else (i.e. Wal-Mart).