Toxic Ted, Friends of the Earth's cuddly safer chemicals mascot, helped hand out pledge cards to shoppers in August. These asked Superdrug and other retailers to phase out risky chemicals in household products like plastic toys and toiletries.
   Already more than a dozen major retailers have signed up, including Boots, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, B&Q and the Early Learning Centre. [Action no longer live.]
   The first target was Boots - see previous page.
   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.

FOE has teamed up with the National Childbirth Trust to produce a guide for parents. This includes pledge cards asking retailers to:

• Stop using bio-accumulative chemicals in their products.
• List all the chemical ingredients in their products - we have a right to know what we're buying.
• Substitute less safe chemicals with safer alternatives - our health should be retailers' primary concern.