California Legislation Banning Phthalates Effective January 2009

Last October 2007, California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma introduced legislation to ban the use of phthalates in California. The law was passed by the California Legislature and will take effect in January 2009. Essentially, the new law prohibits any product made for young children that contains more than one-tenth of 1% of phthalates from being made or sold in California. The bill was sponsored by the Breast Cancer Fund and Environment California because they believe some phthalates are known reproductive toxins. Di-ethyl phthalate is not one of the phthalates mentioned in the legislation. (Source: FMA)