[PETITION] Disney: Get toxic chemicals out of Princess and Spiderman lunch boxes
Posted By Lori On September 4, 2012 @ 10:38 am In Green Advocacy,Green Children,Healthy Living | 21 Comments
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The alarm clock went off at an ungodly hour this morning and I quickly rallied to get my very tall 6th grader and his 5th and 3rd grade brothers out of bed. Today millions of children like mine are heading back to school. My three were ready- armed with new backpacks filled to the brim with the required school supplies. As parents most of us do our best to make sure our kids have everything they need to be successful-including the right school supplies. We spent many days over the past few weeks scouring multiple stores, searching for the perfect backpacks, notebooks, folders and other items on those lengthy school supply lists.
Some school supplies are toxic
But it turns out some school supplies might be releasing “toxic dust” [6] — chemicals known as phthalates [7] – which are linked to serious health problems, including asthma, ADHD, and diabetes.
These chemicals are tightly regulated in toys — but companies like Disney are exploiting loopholes in a federal law. Because school supplies like lunchboxes aren’t technically “toys,” there is no regulation on the levels of toxic chemicals like phthalates they contain — and the amounts of these chemicals could be dangerous.
Study shows children’s vinyl “back‐to‐school” supplies are laden with hidden toxic chemicals
A recent study from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice [8] found that all the children’s lunch boxes tested — which technically aren’t “toys” — contained up to 30 times the amount of toxic dust deemed safe by the federal government.
Disney’s lunch boxes were some of the worst offenders. Their lunchboxes are covered with beloved characters — like iconic princesses and Spiderman, a character my boys love — but could be shedding toxic chemicals that put my kids at risk.
What’s heartbreaking is that alternatives exist. Disney could choose tomorrow to make their products safer. And, while Congress works on long-term solutions like the Safe Chemicals Act [9], corporations like Disney have a responsibility to keep our kids safe now.
I truly believe that together we can and will make a difference. Over 76,000 of you have come forward in support of my petition [10] (with Healthy Child Healthy World [11] and Women’s Voices for the Earth [12]) asking Procter & Gamble (makers of Tide) to strip a harmful cancer-causing chemical out of Tide Free & Gentle®. And that number continues to grow [13].
Let’s join our collective voices to tell Disney to be a leader [14] for children’s health and stop using dangerous phthalates in their products NOW.
Happy children group in school | Stock Photo © .shock #5826424 [15]
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[5] Image: http://groovygreenlivin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Back-to-school-backpacks.jpg
[6] school supplies might be releasing “toxic dust”: http://toxicbaby.com/blog/spidey-stinks-highly-toxic-back-to-school-supplies-raise-health-risks-for-kids
[7] phthalates: http://groovygreenlivin.com/2011/06/phthalates-hidden-dangers-in-everyday-products/
[8] recent study from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice: http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/HiddenHazardsReportFINAL.pdf
[9] Safe Chemicals Act: http://groovygreenlivin.com/2012/05/im-headed-to-dc-for-the-safe-chemicals-brigade/
[10] petition: http://groovygreenlivin.com/2012/02/tell-tide-to-remove-a-cancer-causing-chemical-from-its-detergent/
[11] Healthy Child Healthy World: http://www.healthychild.org/
[12] Women’s Voices for the Earth: http://www.womensvoices.org/
[13] continues to grow: http://www.change.org/petitions/tide-get-cancer-causing-chemicals-out-of-laundry-detergent
[14] Please sign my petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/disney-get-toxic-chemicals-out-of-princess-and-spiderman-lunch-boxes?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=signature_goal_reached
[15] shock #5826424: http://depositphotos.com/5826424/stock-photo-Happy-children-group-in-school.html?sst=1800&sqc=1810&sqm=1837&sq=query%3Dback-to-school-backpack
[16] Image: http://www.linkwithin.com/
[17] : http://www.sarahpinneo.com/blog/dear-pottery-barn-kids.html
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21 Comments To "[PETITION] Disney: Get toxic chemicals out of Princess and Spiderman lunch boxes"
#1 Comment By Leslie Estes On September 4, 2012 @ 1:41 pm
Just signed your great petition and passed it on. How we can tell if the lunchboxes our kids are using, that are generic, are toxic or not? Is it the thermal lunchboxes that are of concern?
#2 Comment By Leslie Estes On September 4, 2012 @ 1:54 pm
Also – heard the same thing about children’s backpacks. (And I am looking for non-toxic lunch containers.) It seems best to assume if the item does not say it is free of phthalates, PBA’s, or PVC’s that the item IS NOT safe.
#3 Comment By Mary Beth Elderton On September 5, 2012 @ 4:12 am
Signed!
#4 Comment By Lori On September 5, 2012 @ 7:45 am
Thank you so much for signing the petition Leslie! My advice is to steer clear of anything vinyl. There’s no way to tell if a product contains phthalates unless it is tested. Unfortunately, the way our system is set up right now no labels with a list of chemicals is required.
#5 Comment By Lori On September 5, 2012 @ 7:45 am
Yes-I agree Leslie. I would assume that the product contains toxins just to be on the safe side.
#6 Comment By Lori On September 5, 2012 @ 7:46 am
Thank you so much Mary Beth!
#7 Comment By Sarah at Julia’s Child On September 6, 2012 @ 8:22 am
Ugh, vinyl! Also not a toy: those bedroom wall decals. I wrote about them here: [17]
#8 Comment By Small Footprints On September 6, 2012 @ 12:37 pm
I’ve signed the petition and have passed the word. This is scandalous!! Thanks for letting us know!
#9 Comment By Lori On September 6, 2012 @ 2:02 pm
Thank you so much for signing the petition. Truly appreciate it!
#10 Pingback By Why There Were Television Cameras in My Kitchen | Groovy Green Livin On September 10, 2012 @ 7:14 pm
[...] levels. I decided that I wanted to complicate my life even more and add to it the launch of my petition asking Disney to get toxic chemicals out of princess and Spiderman lunch boxes. So let’s just [...]
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#13 Pingback By Give Children a Voice: Vote – Groovy Green Livin On November 5, 2012 @ 2:04 pm
[...] our Senators to vote in favor of the Safe Chemicals Act and I started a petition asking Disney to take harmful chemicals out of their princess and Spiderman lunch boxes marketed to children. I’ve written a lot about GMOs and our right to know what’s in our [...]
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#15 Pingback By My Adventures at the Disney Store – Groovy Green Livin On November 19, 2012 @ 12:37 pm
[...] exactly where I went, only I wasn’t there to shop. I was there for another reason-to deliver my petition asking Disney to stop selling “toxic lunch boxes” and other school supplies containing vinyl plastic and chemicals known as phthalates, which have [...]
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[...] PVC free. [...]
#17 Pingback By Groovy Green Livin Biggest Green News and Best of 2012 On January 4, 2013 @ 10:44 am
[...] to see how the piece turned out. This time I was talking about another petition I started asking Disney to remove the toxic chemicals that were found in children’s vinyl back-to-school supplies [...]
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#19 Pingback By :: Good Girl Gone Green » Disney: Ditch the toxic chemicals :: On February 14, 2013 @ 10:05 am
[...] from Groovy Green Livin began a petition back in September asking Disney to remove the toxic chemicals found in their Spiderman and princess [...]
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#21 Pingback By Summer Adventures | Groovy Green Livin On May 7, 2013 @ 8:42 am
[...] take a minute to sign my petition asking Disney to get toxic chemicals out of their princess and Spiderman lunch boxes! Click HERE to [...]