WRITTEN QUESTION No. 830/98 by Laura GONZÁLEZ ÁLVAREZ , Pedro MARSET CAMPOS to the Commission. Toxicity of toys made from flexible PVC
Date: 1998-03-26
Institutions: European Parliament, GONZALEZ ALVAREZ, MARSET CAMPOS
Subjects: approximation of laws, carcinogenic substance, early childhood, harmonisation of standards, health risk, marketing restriction, plastics, product safety, toxic substance, toy industry

C 13/6

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.1.1999

(1999/C 13/009)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0830/98

by Laura GonzÆlez `lvarez (GUE/NGL)
and Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 March 1998)

Subject: Toxicity of toys made from flexible PVC

Despite the decision taken by the European Union(cid:146)s Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the
Environment confirming that toys made from flexible PVC contain and give off unacceptable quantities of toxic
substances, nothing has been done at Community level to outlaw toys of this kind.

The Austrian Government has submitted a draft law banning PVC toys requiring plasticizers and has forwarded it
to the EU.

The European Union should follow the same approach instead of allowing children to be exposed to unacceptable
levels of toxic products with impunity.

1.

Is the Commission aware of this situation?

2. Why has nothing been done at Community level to prevent and eliminate the use of components of this kind

in toys?

3. Does the Commission not consider that measures should be taken to comply with Directive 88/378/EEC (1)
on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning the safety of toys? To what extent have
the different Member States complied with this directive with regard to the case described above and similar
cases?

(1) OJ L 187, 16.7.1988, p. 1.

(1999/C 13/010)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0996/98

by Mar(cid:237)a Sornosa Mart(cid:237)nez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Toxicity of PVC toys

(2 April 1998)

The European Union has recently confirmed that soft PVC toys are toxic. The European Union(cid:146)s Committee on
Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment has acknowledged that exposing children to the three softening agents
added to the toys › DINP, DEHP and DNOP phthalats, is dangerously close to the recommended limits, exactly
as found by the Greenpeace investigation of PVC toys.

Since it has been shown that children can directly ingest toxic chemical substances from PVC toys,

1.

2.

what steps does the Commission intend to take in this matter?

does the Commission believe that lower levels of additives or toxins should be aimed at, or does it think that

the ban on PVC toys should be made effective by promoting alternatives which do not require the use of

3.
softening agents?

(1999/C 13/011)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1536/98

by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission

(18 May 1998)

Subject: Ban on use of PVC in the EU

Greenpeace and other authoritative international organizations claim that the use of PVC, particularly in toys, is a
direct threat to children(cid:146)s health. Research has shown that particularly high levels of toxic phthalic compounds
and some heavy metals (lead, cadmium etc) used as additives in PVC are to be found in toys. These substances