A number of major retailers have pledged to take action to phase out risky chemicals in household products like plastic toys and toiletries. They include Boots, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, B&Q and the Early Learning Centre.
This follows action by FOE supporters to get them to sign a Safer Chemicals pledge. [Action no longer live.]
The first target was Boots because they initially refused to give information about chemicals in their products, and refused to take action to make them safer. Nottingham FOE campaigner Rebecca Pleass posed as a perfume seller outside Boots main store in Parliament Street to highlight the dangers. Her brands on display included "Eau de Toxique" and "A Whiff of Danger from Laboratoire Chemique".
This is part of a European campaign to get rid of chemicals like phthalates, artificial musks, and Bisphenol A which accumulate in the body. Over 350 such chemicals have been found in the human body. Some of these chemicals are known to interfere with the hormone system and cause effects such as falling sperm counts, girls entering puberty earlier, development problems and cancer.
|