Consumers shouldn’t assume that children’s products are safe just because they are available in stores. That’s the key finding of a shoppers’ guide released last month. The report, Safer School Supplies: Shopping Guide, identified school supplies that contained toxic chemicals.
Researchers from the United States Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) conducted laboratory tests for toxic chemicals in popular school supplies. The researchers tested markers (washable and dry-erase), crayons, glue (liquid and sticks), spiral notebooks, rulers, 3-ring binders, lunchboxes, and water bottles for toxic chemicals such as lead, asbestos, phthalates, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and bisphenol-A (BPA). The supplies were purchased across the country at a wide variety of stores including big box stores, dollar stores, drug stores, online retailers, and arts and crafts stores.
Among the school supplies lab tested, researchers found Playskool crayons from Dollar Tree that contained asbestos, a 3-ring binder from Dollar Tree that contained high levels of phthalates, two dry-erase markers containing other toxic compounds, and the report highlighted two water bottles that have been recalled due to high levels of lead. This guide not only listed the potentially dangerous school supplies that was found and explained why and how the school supplies can harm students, but also lists the school supplies that tested negative for chemicals of concern.
USPIRG sent 27 school supplies to an independent laboratory to test for chemicals of concern. The problems they found included:
- Six types of crayons were tested for asbestos and one tested positive for tremolite. Asbestos is a known carcinogen and can lead to serious health conditions, including lung cancer and mesothelioma.
- 3-ring binders. Three 3-ring binders were tested for phthalates, and one tested positive for phthalates. Studies have linked phthalates to asthma, childhood obesity and lower IQ scores.
- Two brands of dry-erase markers for toxic compounds and phthalates, which tested negative for phthalates but positive for the toxin compounds. Those chemicals include benzene, xylene, and toluene.
The researchers tested other products, which were free from toxic chemicals and lead.
Government is supposed to ensure that products sold are safe. This shoppers guide shows that consumers can’t rely on that protection.
And there is evidence that the situation is going to become worse.
The Trump Administration is loosening regulations to allow for the use of asbestos. According to media reports, on June 1st, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authorized a rule that allowed the distribution of products containing asbestos on a case-by-case basis. It’s part of a broader strategy by the Trump Administration to allow greater use of this toxin and others like it.
Asbestos was widely used in ship boiler rooms, manufacturing plants and building insulation up until it was completely banned in most countries in the 1970s. The U.S. severely restricted its use without completely outlawing it. Asbestos poses a major health risk for everyone who comes into contact with it, both directly and indirectly.
It’s clear that the public should not be expecting greater protections from the federal government and instead will have to hope that state and local governments fill the public health gap.
In addition, the public will have to be more educated about its purchases. In terms of school supplies, parents and teachers should use the USPIRG shopping guide, released jointly with NYPIRG. This report is available at https://www.nypirg.org/pubs/201808/NYPIRG_Toxics_in_Back_to_School_Supplies_FINAL_2018.pdf.
In addition, the Healthy Schools Network has released a “tool kit” for parents, other caregivers and teachers to help them understand school health issues. Access the tool kit here: http://www.healthyschools.org/coalitionactionkit.html.
The presence of toxic hazards in school supplies highlights the need for constant vigilance on the part of government agencies and the public to ensure that school supplies containing toxic chemicals are removed from store shelves. The only thing kids should be exposed to in school is learning.