A Dream for a Better World

Some related experiments have displayed that chemical toxins contained in children’s products could show their danger as well as disservice within a long period. Invisible pollution is always more terrible. Phthalates, is a kind of plasticizer which can soften PVC. At present, the material has been widely using in our daily products, ranging from cosmetics such as nail polish, hair sprays, and skin care and cosmetics, clothes, bags, children’s products, for example, helmets for roller skating, medical device, raincoats, curtains in bathroom, decoration materials to cleaning supplies. In recent years, some researches have made people start to worry about the material they are touching and using. Experiments manifest that phthalates could disturb animals’ hormone system including people’s and damage the production of androgen. What is worse, the harmful material can even lead to cancer. In addition, phthalates added into plastics is not closely adhered to the latter. When it meets with fat, saliva and high temperature, it will dissolve by means of mechanical pressure. Therefore, since the year 1999, the European Union has started to forbid the usage of 6 kinds of phthalates in children’s products. Another kind of plasticizer is called BPA, which is used for enhancing the hardness as well as strength of plastics. Baby bottle is not fragile due to the effect of BPA. BPA is not only put into children’s products but also can be found in some containers for loading food. The material is able to imitate people’s androgen and change the structure and chemicals of brain. In addition, BPA can also change immune system as well as reproductive organs. Even a small quantity of BPA could cause diseases about breast, prostate and other organs. When being heat or washed by mechanical force, BPA could be released from polycarbonate plastics and dissolves into the solution of the container.
As human beings have known the disadvantages caused by those toxins, they start to take measures to reduce or eliminate the usage of them. In June 2006, the Regulatory Commission of San Francisco adopted related regulation for forbidding the usage of phthalates and BPA in children’s toys as well as other items. The decree was planned to be effective in December of 2006 but the implementation was strongly opposed by some big toy manufacturers. In order to maintain their own profit, those companies accessed to lawsuit and implementation of the decree was delayed. The ban for chemical toxins usage has suffered from much criticism and the implementation was not easy. Many scientists who engage in research on harmful chemical materials, also advocate the ideas to forbid toxins use. In the year 2007, more than 200 top environmentalists met together and warned people that common harm chemical products including the two mentioned above could cause various problems for babies’ health such as diabetes, attention deficit disorder, cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorder and obesity etc. In recent years, more and more people have paid attention to their children’s products and some poisoning events also make people be more careful when selecting items for kids. Nowadays, many people always avoid using items containing chemicals. If the ban can be smoothly implemented, everything will be better.