ParentingHub

Parents are often well aware of the more common chemicals that may be in their environment that may harm their children, including asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead, and most pesticides. Unfortunately, parents often are uninformed about other hazardous chemicals in their child's environment that they also should avoid and may be confused about the risk of some things, like BPA and phthalates in plastic products their kids' use.

There are two villains here: a family of chemical compounds called phthalates that make PVC plastic soft (as in plastic shower curtains or wash-off baby books that go in bathtubs) and the industrial chemical bisphenol A (a hard, shiny plastic often used for baby bottles and sippy cups).
Although the chemicals involved are different they have a similar effect, mimicking hormones. As they leach out of the plastic they feminize babies and small children. This leads to a variety of problems, including smaller penises as well as planting the seeds for cancer that can develop later in life.

Also referred to as plasticizers, phthalates are a family of eight hormone-mimicking chemical compounds. These compounds are the additives that make plastic soft and flexible in everything from toys, shower curtains, and plastic bags to vinyl floors and medical tubing. They are also used to enhance personal-care products by making perfume last longer, nail polish more elastic, and lotions more easily absorbed in the skin.

If you want to be able to spot phthalates think soft plastic, like wash-off baby books, plastic shower curtains, medical tubing, kitchen flooring, food packaging, and even some toys. Hard plastic cars that children pedal around the backyard do not contain phthalates. PVC itself does not biodegrade, and it remains on the shelf, in the environment, or in the landfill. Sometimes landfills catch on fire, and then the PVC releases dioxin, hydrochloric acid, and other toxins. PVC is extremely difficult to recycle, which is why so little of it is recaptured.

The Bad News
Exposure to these hormone-mimicking chemicals during critical periods in a child’s development, both in utero and in infancy, can result in lifelong injury. Estrogen is one of the major communicators in both the male and the female body, telling cells how they should behave. When fetal cells are exposed to even a tiny amount of additional estrogen, the reproductive system can become reprogrammed, resulting in early onset adolescence, undescended testicles, enlarged prostates, reduced sperm counts, and smaller penises.

The Good News
It is easy to identify the offending plastics and keep them out of your home. Green Toys - Made from 100% recycled plastic. "Like all Green Toys, safe, eco-friendly for some good clean fun!" Green Toys products are tested by nationally recognized, independent, third-party labs (located, yes, in the USA.) They contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA. They are also designed without any external coatings, eliminating the fear of lead paint.

www.greentoys.co.za and www.greenlifestore.co.za