Toxic Chemical in School Supplies
As September approaches, parents are preparing their children for school, yet most parents are unaware of the toxic plastic, PVC or vinyl, in their child’s backpack, lunchbox, binders, art supplies, and the list does not stop there. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) released a new Back to School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies today. This new guide gives parents recommendations for safer, PVC-free school supplies in over 20 product categories.
“This guide gives parents and teachers the guidance they need in a format that is easy to use and understand,” said Ellie Goldberg, Newton, Vice President of Legislation for the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
“But parents want to know: Why are we allowing companies to sell toxic school supplies such as lunch boxes, backpacks and binders at all? We need legislation that puts children’s health and safety first, that requires companies to make safe products and to eliminate hazards from our homes and schools.”
PVC contains dangerous chemical additives, phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, used to soften or stabilize the plastic, which can be toxic, especially to children. Recent studies show that PVC flooring is linked to increased rates of autism and asthma in children. Ironically, federal law banned the use of phthalates in children’s toys last summer, but not in children’s school supplies and other PVC products found in schools.
This is another case where federal and state legislation has failed us and our children. We should not have to worry about toxic chemicals in our children’s school supplies. This is why we need to pass federal and state legislation; so that we are not worrying about what toxic chemicals are lurking in our child’s lunchbox.
