Research Articles PVC toys From the Greenpeace International Research Laboratories Research Articles Concentrations of Phthalate Esters and Identification of Other Additives in PVC Children's Toys * Ruth Stringer, Iryna Labunska, David Santillo, Paul Johnston, John Siddorn, Angela Stephenson Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Hatherly Laboratories, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK Corresponding author: Ruth Stringer; e-mail:
[email protected] ied by other researchers or regulatory bodies, but not to DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr199910.007 conduct those studies ourselves. Abstract. This study was intended to provide data on the compo- Whilst manufacturers may hold information on the compo- sition of soft PVC toys, addressing the widest practicable range of sition of their products, few data have been presented in the chemical additives and including non-phthalate additives. The study scientific literature. This study is broader both in geographi- also included toys from as many countries as possible, since for cal and chemical coverage than any other we have found in many, no data were available. A total of 72 toys were purchased the scientific literature to date and for that reason would in 17 countries. The majority (64) were PVC or had PVC sections. extend the knowledge base of those whose primary infor- In almost all the soft PVC toys analysed, phthalates comprised a mation source is scientifically based rather than commer- sizeable proportion (most frequently 10-40%) of the total weight of the toy. cially based. The predominant phthalates detected were diisononyl phthalate PVC (polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl) is a widely used mate- (DINP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP).