Phthalates in Plastics

Plastic baby toys are soft, cuddly, and chewable, but the chemicals used to do that are possible health hazards and the subject of growing controversy. They are called phthalates (THALL-ates), and some European nations want to ban all toys that contain them. There is a chance that the United States may soon follow. It’s not just toys, either. Researchers are coming up with evidence that chemicals in some of today’s most common products could prove harmful to the human endocrine system. Living On Earth’s Daniel Grossman has the story.