Protesters at the Times Square Toys "R" Us decry the use of PVCs in toys at the flagship store. (Jack Phillips/The Epoch Times)
Among the most popular of the toys being sold are “Toy Story 3” toys made from PVC, a commonly used plastic for many items, which the coalition says is especially harmful to the health of children and the workers who manufacture the products.
The demonstrators, organized by a coalition that includes the Teamsters Union asked the toy store to label all toys made from PVC plastic.
Eventually, the coalition said that the toy giant should phase out all toys made from the plastic. The coalition hopes to commission a report and send it to Congress, to phase out PVC toys entirely.
“There's no other plastic that poses a significant human health or environmental hazard as PVC does,” said Mike Schade, an organizer of the event with the Center for Health, Environment & Justice. “There's no safe way to manufacture it.”
Schade added that PVC is unique from other plastics because it contains lead and phthalates that can “leech out” of it. If small children chew on the toys, they could be exposed to the toxins.
Several published reports have linked PVC exposure to developmental disorders, birth defects, cancer, immune system suppression, and other ailments in children.
That “new” smell of various items made from PVC is the outward gas being emitted, which is also toxic for humans, Schade said. For example, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda car companies have eliminated PVC in car interiors to prevent the gases from reaching humans.
The manufacturing and disposal of the toys also poses a problem for the environment. “There's no safe way to manufacture it, there's no safe way to dispose of it, and there's no safe way to use it,” Schade said.
Among those who are in favor of phasing out the plastic is Greenpeace because dioxin, considered to be a major industrial pollutant, is produced in the manufacturing and the incineration of PVC.
A spokesperson with Toys "R" Us, said in an e-mail that the claims were "unfounded."
A statement from Toys "R" Us says that "the safety of the products we sell is our highest priority. All toys carried in our stores have been rigorously tested to meet or exceed the nation’s tough new safety standards."
"Toys "R" Us has been, and continues to be, a leader in advocating for the safety of children’s products," says the statement.
The Times Square Toys “R” Us is the company’s flagship store and is noted for being the largest toy store in the world.
