NSW govt bans dangerous plastic

The NSW government has banned the supply of children's products that contain more than one per cent of a dangerous plastic.

Products containing more than one per cent of Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) pose a risk of reproductive toxicity for children aged up to three years old, an assessment by the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) found.

Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge said traders supplying such products will face penalties of up to $22,000 for individuals and up to $110,000 for corporations.

"This precautionary measure will help ensure young children in NSW are protected from even a small chance of exposure to harmful levels of this chemical," Ms Judge said in a statement on Thursday.

The NICNAS study found that infants who chew or suck objects containing more than one per cent of DEHP for more than 40 minutes a day are at risk.

DEHP is used to make plastics more pliable and is found in toys and childcare products such as soothers, teething rings, bottles and bibs.

Ms Judge said while there was no evidence DEHP was present in products in NSW, inspectors will undertake testing as part of routine compliance checks.

All suppliers are equally responsible for ensuring their producers meet the requirement of the ban.

"This includes manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers," Ms Judge said.

comments:

the government's decision on banning the products containing excessive plastic component is absolutely good for ensuring the health of children as they are the country's assets. Besides, reducing the usage of plastic products will also help in saving the environment. Since plastic cannot be bio-degradable, the most common way to get rid of them is to burn them but the toxic gases produced will pollute the air. In other way, with the decrease in usage of plastic, government can use the cost saved for more useful developments for the country.