In an article published on August 30, 2017 regulatory news provider Chemical Watch reported that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has agreed to finalize a rule to ban the use of five phthalates in children’s toys and child care articles at levels exceeding 0.1%. The rule was proposed in a 2014 CPSC report and targets diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP, CAS 84-69-5), di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP, CAS 131-18-0), di-n-hexyl phthalate (DnHP, CAS 84-75-3), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP, CAS 84-61-7), and diisononyl phthalate (DINP, CAS 28553-12-0) (FPF reported). Chemical Watch informed that the CPSC failed to publish the final rule by the deadline set out in the report (January 14, 2015). Therefore, the non-profit organizations Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform, and the Breast Cancer Fund filed a lawsuit in 2016 which was now settled with the agreement of CPSC to finalize the rule by October 18, 2017. Chemical Watch further noted that “the settlement specifies only the deadline for publishing the final rule, not its content.”
In the U.S., DIBP, DnHP, DCHP, and DINP are also used in food contact materials (FCMs), in adhesives or as plasticizers. Three further phthalates, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, CAS 117-81-7), dibutyl phthalate (DBP, CAS 84-74-2), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP, CAS 85-68-7) are already prohibited in children’s products.
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Chemical Watch (August 30, 2017). “CPSC to finalize rule that could ban five phthalates in toys.”
American Chemistry Council (September 14, 2017). “CPSC ban on DINP is arbitrary and capricious.“
