AMSTERDAM - 54 vinyl (PVC) childcare products, accessories and home furnishing products from 20 countries (from waterproof PVC mattress covers to PVC flooring) have been found by independent laboratories (1) to contain a range of hazardous additives that can cause a variety of adverse health effects - according to a report published today by Greenpeace (2).

The chemicals found in the products, primarily phthalates and organotins, but also lead, cadmium and bisphenol A, are highly toxic. Some phthalates cause liver cancer, kidney damage and reproductive system impairment in animals. Organotins cause immune and reproductive damage in animals. Some of the products tested contained bisphenol A, a chemical that interferes with the hormone system.

The Greenpeace testing results released today showed that, because there is a wide variety of PVC home products which contain hazardous additives, a family is exposed daily to multiple sources that exceed the exposure from a single product. Many of the measures being proposed to deal with the hazards of the additives in PVC in various countries around the world are based on trying to calculate the degree of exposure that is "safe" for children.

"Calculating the risk to children from hazardous PVC additives is clearly a high risk strategy", said Ruth Stringer, Scientist for Greenpeace International. "Attempts to formulate regulations on this basis have been flawed, and the techniques impossible to reliably replicate. Exposure of children and consumers to PVC additives is entirely unnecessary and avoidable. Common sense dictates that the only way to protect children from these harmful chemicals is to eliminate them from the products and hence from our homes". Amongst other findings in the Greenpeace study: · Almost all products tested contained detectable levels of the phthalate DEHP, up to 38% by weight DEHP detected in a bath mat from Thailand.

DEHP is toxic to the male reproductive system. DEHP is also classified as a suspected human carcinogen, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US Environment Protection Agency (US EPA). · Bisphenol A was found in two products from Japan of which one was a child's teether. · Cadmium, a known carcinogen, was present in almost all of the products tested, however two products, one a drawer liner from the US and the other a plastic pants from New Zealand contained cadmium in excess of the 100mg/kg maximum set for PVC products in Europe. · Most of the fourteen products tested for organotins contained significant amounts. . Floor tiles from Canada, on which children spend a lot of time crawling and playing, contained the highest level of organotins.

Most of the products tested are readily available and can be purchased from popular retail stores. The independent laboratories tested only a small sampling of hundreds of PVC products and found hazardous additives in many well-known brand names including: Armstrong, Gerber, Disney, Toys 'R Us, and Laura Ashley.

PVC's need for chemical additives is only part of its hazard - its lifecycle has serious environmental and health consequences. Together, PVC manufacture and disposal represent one of the largest sources of dioxin. Dioxin is a confirmed human cancer-causing substance, and one of the most potent toxins known to man. For these reasons, Greenpeace advocates the phase-out of all PVC plastics.

"The evidence against this poisonous plastic is mounting. From production, use, to final disposal, PVC is plagued with severe problems. The responsibility to eliminate this material is now with the producers and manufacturers of PVC. However, responsible authorities must legislate against this poisonous plastic immediately", said Maureen Penjueli of Greenpeace. "How much more evidence do we need before government and corporate action is taken?"

Greenpeace also recently unveiled an international on line database of PVC free products for the construction industry and do-it-yourself enthusiasts. The database features over 200 products of companies in 17 countries.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Maureen Penjueli, Greenpeace International, tel.+44 207 865 82 46 Ruth Stringer, Greenpeace Research Laboratories, tel.+44 1392 263 917 Luisa Colasimone, Greenpeace Communications, mobile +31 6 21 29 69 20

Notes: (1) The PVC products were tested at the STAT Laboratories in the US and at the GALAB laboratories in Germany.

Samples of the products were obtained from twenty countries: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US.

These items were either designed specifically for children, or were common household items with which children would be likely to come into regular and possibly prolonged contact.

(2) "Toxic chemicals in a child's world: an investigation into PVC plastic products", by Ruth Stringer, Paul Johnston and Bea Erry, Greenpeace Research Laboratories, University of Exeter, May 2001.

Full Report http://www.greenpeace.org/%7Etoxics/reports/pcvchildsworld.pdf Toxic chemicals in a child's world: an investigation into PVC plastic products