Phthalates Have Been Significantly Reduced in Children’s Products as a Result of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)1 was signed into law on August 14, 2008. The CPSIA includes the most significant improvements of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since the agency was established in the 1970’s. The CPSIA banned three phthalates in children’s products and temporarily banned other phthalates pending a rule by the CPSC. What Are Phthalates? Phthalates are a class of chemicals that are often used to make plastics softer. Many phthalates are endocrine disruptors, and exposure to phthalates has been linked to breast cancer, developmental issues, decreased fertility, obesity and asthma. Before the CPSIA: • Phthalates were found in a wide variety of products, including plastics, building materials, cleaning products, insecticides, pharmaceuticals, food packaging, home décor, children’s toys, and personal care products. • There was no limit on the amount or type of phthalates that could be used in a children’s product. Phthalate Provision in the CPSIA: • Section 108 of the CPSIA: o Permanently banned more than 0.1 percent of three specific phthalates – di-(2- thylhexyl phthalate (DEHP); dibutyl phthalate (DBP); and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) – in children’s toys and child care articles. o Temporarily banned more than 0.1 percent of diisononyl phthalate (DINP); diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) in children’s toys and child care articles, pending a CPSC Rule. • In 2009, the CPSC recalled an inflatable baseball bat due to excessive levels of the banned phthalate, DEHP.2 • The CPSC passed a Phthalate Rule on October 15, 2017 that went into effect on April 25, 2018. • The CPSC finalized its rule on phthalates in response to a legal settlement resulting from a lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Environmental Justice Health Alliance (EJHA) and Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) against the CPSC in December 2016. • The CPSC Rule permanently banned DINP, affirmed the bans on DEHP, DBP and BBP, and also permanently banned an additional four phthalates up to 0.1 percent: diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP); di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPENP); di-n-hexyl phthalate (DHEXP); and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP). 1 Public Law 110–314—AUG. 14, 2008 2 https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2010/Daiso-Recalls-Childrens-Toys-Purses-and-Pen-Cases-Due-to-Violation-of- Lead-Paint-and-Phthalate-Limits