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Just in time for back-to-school shopping, parents are being warned about the dangers of toxins that may be present in plastic school supplies. Texas Public Radio’s Eileen Pace reports on the dangers to children of using soft-plastic bags and binders.
August 9, 2010 · PVC and vinyl laden with the toxic chemical phthalates, have been banned for use in toys, but what about in school supplies?
Mike Schade, PVC Campaign Coordinator for The Center for Health, Environment and Justice, says the chemicals in many character-themed items are dangerous for children.
“Chemicals released by the vinyl life-cycle have been linked to chronic diseases: childhood cancers, learning disabilities like autisim, obesity, and asthma,” Schade said.
The organization has produced a back-to-school guide that gives parents safe alternatives for students’ binders, lunchboxes, and backpacks.
“For example, parents can buy lunchboxes made out of safer materials such as cloth or metal,” Schade said.
In Texas, there is a particular danger of leaving plastic or vinyl school supplies and bags in the car. Dr. Jimmy Perkins, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Science who studies phthalates in vinyl products at Houston’s University of Texas School of Public Health in San Antonio, said the Texas heat can create a dangerous situation with phthalates and other chemicals in these products.
“Plasticizers are oily. They’re heavy, they wouldn’t normally evaporate. But in a car, which can easily get to 140 or 150 degrees when the windows are up on a summer day, those plasticizers are going to become airborne. And that may actually represent one of the biggest doses that we get,” Perkins said.
The CHEJ’s guide recommends buying cloth or metal lunchboxes; avoiding backpacks with shiny plastic designs; and buying cardboard, fabric covered binders.
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