CHAP Report on Diisononyl Phthalate
International Council of Toys Industries' Statement Concerning the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's CHAP Report on Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP)
June 19, 2001
As the trade association representing toy associations worldwide, we applaud the latest findings of an American government panel of experts that a common substance used in making vinyl toys is not hazardous to children.
The definitive opinion settling the controversy was announced Friday by the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (CHAP), a body of experts nominated by the American National Academy of Sciences and appointed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Its exhaustive investigation of the potential effects of exposure to diisononyl phthalate, or DINP, containing such phrases as, "the human risk (of liver cancer) is therefore seen as negligible" or "for the majority of children, exposure to toys containing DINP can be expected to pose a minimal to non-existent risk of injury" assures parents and caregivers that vinyl toys are safe for children.
For years, and in spite of mounting scientific evidence, self-appointed consumer watchdogs claimed that exposure to DINP, an essential chemical in the toy manufacturing process, posed serious risks to young children. We appreciate how difficult it is for parents and caregivers to sort out what is relevant from the information overload they have to confront, which is why we have said all along - and it is now apparent - that parents and caregivers were being alarmed unnecessarily.
Vinyl plastics containing DINP have for fifty years proven their worth as the appropriate and efficient materials for the manufacture of toys. The ICTI membership believes the CHAP Report has removed whatever doubt may have existed over its use.
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Founded in 1974, the International Council of Toy Industries consists of toy trade associations from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The ICTI President and Secretariat are held by the British Toy and Hobby Association, the London-based trade association.