Weichmacher in Kinderspielzeug sollen verboten werden[en] 

Phthalates are used in a wide range of applications including clothing, PVC building materials, medical products, cosmetics, toys, child care articles and food packaging. In toys, they are used to soften the PVC plastics certain toys are made of. Phthalates are widely believed to be harmful to human health, causing damage to the reproductive system and increasing the risks of allergies, asthma and cancer.

Based on an opinion by the Commission's Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE), the Commission ordered a temporary ban on phtalates in 1999, after concerns (raised in Nordic countries) that toxic chemicals were ingested by children when chewing plastic toys. A proposal to make the ban permanent was tabled shortly after but the draft got stuck in Council because EU ministers disagreed over how far it should go. 

In 2003, a risk assessment report published by the European Chemicals Bureau concluded that DINP, the main phthalate used in toys, was safe. But in a June 2004 opinion , the CSTEE overruled the report.

The nearly seven-year-old temporary ban of six phthalates in the manufacture of toys is about to become a permanent directive. 

The Council finally adopted a common position on the issue on 4 April 2005 agreeing on the need to ban the phthalates in toys for children under the age of three, but saw no need for the labelling of toys for over three-year olds. 

The Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted, on 14 June 2005, a strong line in favour of compulsory labelling on toys containing phthalates. 

In a compromise text drafted by the Parliament and the Council officials, the Council has abandoned the 'age of three' limit on restrictions and the Parliament has given up on nearly all its other demands (including the labelling requirement). 

The compromise proposes to ban three types of phthalates (DINP, DIDP, DNOP) "in toys and childcare articles which can be placed in the mouth by children". More products than initially planned will thus be affected by the directive.

Europe's toy industry association (TIE) has strongly reacted to the compromise proposal and expects it to have a serious and negative impact on the toy industry. "It will set a dangerous precedent for Reach and sound science," it said in a statement. It draws attention to the risk assessment done by the European chemicals bureau (ECB), which concluded that DNIP is safe for use in its current application in toys. "The substitute currently favoured by the European parliament has not been assessed by the ECB, which calls into question the validity of the EU risk assessment process," adds the TIE.

Greenpeace's European Unit commented on the issue by underlining the "important lessons" that are to be drawn from this for the REACH chemicals legislation. "There is a clear need to have an independent audit of the risk assessments to be submitted by the industry to ensure credibility and effectiveness of the new system," said Jorgo Riss. "Phthalates are proven to be hazardous, and can easily be replaced by using non-PVC materials. Without legislation that would consistently require the chemicals industry to use safer alternatives, there is sadly little hope the chemicals industry will clean up its act," he added.