Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** The latest ECHA findings reveal that toxic substances like phthalates and heavy metals persist in thousands of everyday products across the EU, underscoring ongoing compliance gaps despite regulatory bans.
Health & Wellness
Hygiene – Beauty
Endocrine Disruptors
NEWS
Toxic Substances – Everyday Products Exceed Authorized Limits
ÉC
by Élisabeth Chesnais
© AdobeStock
Published on February 15, 2018
For their fourth edition just released, controls conducted by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on thousands of consumer products are far from reassuring. Phthalates, cadmium, nickel, lead, and other toxic horrors are still present in everyday consumer items.
In total, no fewer than 5,625 consumer products sold in European Union countries were analyzed. The goal was to verify that manufacturers, importers, and distributors comply with the bans and restrictions required by the EU’s REACH regulation (1). Although the analyses targeted substances already banned or strictly regulated, the non-compliance rate—18% overall—is far too high.
In detail, 20% of toys tested contained phthalates at levels exceeding the authorized limit. This is particularly serious because the plasticizers in question—DEHP, DBP, and BBP—are classified as both reprotoxic and endocrine disruptors.
For Brazilian bracelets, cadmium is the problem, present in 14% of items tested. More generally, costume jewelry is risky: beyond cadmium, nickel and lead are too frequently present. These results align with the heavy metal (nickel, cadmium, lead) research conducted by Que Choisir. Our 2015 test detected at least one of these highly toxic compounds above regulatory limits in metal toys and costume jewelry.
Leather is not exempt from contaminants either: 13% of leather items analyzed in the EU contain chromium VI, a powerful skin allergen. This presence was also highlighted in our recent analyses of leather goods.
While 17% of risky products come from China, ECHA notes that nearly 40% are of unknown origin. It was not possible to identify the country of production. Therefore, it is preferable to buy products that display their place of production.
(1) European regulation of December 18, 2006, strengthening European legislation on the authorization and use of chemical substances.
ÉC
Élisabeth Chesnais
Test
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