Certain mothers held a rally in Denver to instruct their children on how to stage a photo-op in support of the nanny state. From the Rocky Mountain News:
Mothers and their children told
Congress how to vote on "toxic toys" Tuesday by dumping tainted
rubber ducks in the trash at the Washington Park playground.
The protesters are urging a
15-member congressional conference committee, including Rep. Diana DeGette,
D-Denver, to ban toxic chemicals in toys and other child-care products.
"Toys don't come with a list of ingredients," said Nancy Wilhelm, an Evergreen mother of three. "As a mom, I should be able to depend on the government to ensure that the toys I buy aren't toxic." [Emphasis added.]
At issue are phthalates (pronounced THA-lates), a class of toxic chemicals used to make plastic in baby teethers and bath books soft and flexible. Along with other consumer products such as hand lotion, cosmetics and shampoo, phthalates are used in industrial solvents, insecticides and paints. (snip)
The Senate banned the chemicals in
children's products in its version of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Reform Act. But, because the House bill didn't address phthalates, the pressure
is on [ Congresswoman Diana ] DeGette and two other House Democrats on the
conference panel to back a national ban.
"Congresswoman [Diana ] DeGette supports banning phthalates in children's products," said her spokesman, Kristofer Eisenla.
Apparently, it is the government’s job to protect the mothers from making poor decisions. This is a prime example of nanny state thinking. What happened to caveat emptor?
Also, the science of phthalates shows mixed results. Laboratory animals have health risks when exposed to large amounts of the substances, but the health risks to humans are unproven at best. The typical exposure of kids from phthalates is not enough to cause lasting health problems. As multiple formulas of phthalates exist, a blanket ban without further testing may be premature.
One day, the science may prove that banning phthalates from children’s toys is a good idea. However, staging a photo-op to promote the government nanny state mentality likely will be more dangerous to the long-term well-being of the children than phthalates ever were.
by Civil Sense
Comments