Current Affairs Test finds five in nine school aids on Czech market contain toxic phthalates
Laboratory tests conducted in Zlín, southeast Moravia, have found that five in nine Czech school products contain a high share of toxic substances known as phthalates. Items tested at the request of the Czech environmental NGO Arnika included pencil cases, exercise book jackets and erasers, which present a risk if put under mechanical stress or chewed, like a marker cover or eraser. The crux of the problem is that while Czech and EU laws limit phthalates in toys or other products, they do not take into account school products.
Jindřich Petrlík
A little earlier I discussed the issue with Jindřich Petrlík, a
specialist at Arnika:
“Phthalates are softeners which are mostly used to soften PVC – plastic which is used for many purposes in both children’s toys and care products. There are six of 40 phthalates which were considered to be harmful and dangerous to health. The most dangerous is DEHP which is reprotoxic. They also have harmful effects on the endocrine system as well as influence as well neurobehavioral development and also have adverse effect on the kidneys, for example.”
In that light how serious are the findings by the Institute for Testing and Certification in Zlín that five out of nine items contained phthalates?
“The threat is most dangerous for small children, toddlers, so the risk for schoolchildren is not as high. Nevertheless, in general we suggest that consumers not buy PVC school products because PVC as a plastic is material that causes serious damage to the environment.”
So that is something that conscientious parents can do: they may not know
for certain whether a PVC product contains phthalates but they can opt not
to buy…
“Yes. We were surprised that so many still contained phthalates because we raised awareness of the issue two years ago and we know that some companies changed production to phthalates-free. But generally that has not been the case with school items. There has been some progress though: the Czech company Koh-i-noor, for example has said all its new products are without the substances.”
