PHTHALATES IN ACMI-CERTIFIED POLYMER CLAYS
Polymer clays in the ACMI certification program were re-evaluated in October 2000 and continue to receive ACMI’s non-toxic designation, said Deborah Fanning, Executive Vice President of The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI). This re-evaluation took place at the request of the polymer clay manufacturers because of questions raised at that time about phthalates in toys.
ACMI members do use phthalates in polymer clays but these phthalate esters do not present acute or chronic toxicity concerns. ACMI’s consulting toxicological team at Duke University Medical Center (DUKE) has evaluated these polymer clays for acute and chronic hazards by all potential routes of exposure and have found none. A DUKE study revealed that you would need to overheat and destroy the clay product in the oven-heating process to release hydrogen gas, and <0.1% of the phthalate esters would be released with no breakdown of the polyvinyl chloride.
Woodhall Stopford, M.D., principal toxicologist of the ACMI Certification Program, stated that “Phthalate esters found in these polymer clays offer little or no acute toxicity concerns and are not a chronic hazard concern even assuming a large (24 mg) daily ingestion of these clays. Dr. Stopford’s risk assessment, as well as an executive summary, are available on the DUKE website at http://duketox.mc.duke.edu. Simply click on “Recent Toxicological Issues” on the home page and then polymerclays1.doc for the risk assessment or polymerclaysummary.doc for the executive summary. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has extensively tested samples of polymer clay for safety concerns. They found that the polymer clay tested did not contain any volatile organic compounds and that no acid gases were released if the clay was baked to 163o C (325o F). They found that hydrogen gas was released only if the clay was heated to the point of turning black, 180o C (356o F).
Mrs. Fanning said that ACMI would welcome another review of the issue by CPSC. As recently as last year, a CPSC Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel concluded that DINP, a phthalate, presented “an extremely low or non-existent” risk to reproductive and developmental processes in humans due to DINP exposure. And, she noted, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in an April 19, 2001 fact sheet stated, “FDA believes that at the present time there is no reason for consumers to be alarmed at the use of cosmetics containing phthalates,” although the agency continues to study the issue.
It is not possible on such short notice to address the specific test results described in a USPIRG report issued today, but the inhalation report is clearly not in accord with that conducted by Dr. Stopford. Nor has there been time to address in detail the inaccuracies in the report about ACMI’s certification program and the independent evaluation of health risks conducted by the consulting toxicological team at DUKE.
No hazardous level of any ingredient is permitted in any art material product evaluated as non-toxic in the ACMI program, whether a children’s or an adult’s product. ACMI’s toxicological team takes into account the metabolism and size of a small child when evaluating materials that will be used by children. Thus, even children can use polymer clays that are evaluated as non-toxic in the ACMI program; however, supervision in the oven-baking process is recommended for very young children. Parents, educators and others are urged to read the labels on polymer clays and other art products to better understand which have been evaluated by ACMI and which are non-toxic. Some art materials meant for adults may need special handling as indicated in the safe-use instructions on the labels.
Since the enactment of the Federal Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act in 1988, currently administered by CPSC, not one ACMI-certified product has had to be recalled by its member companies. Mrs. Fanning noted, “We believe this is an extraordinary record of the effectiveness of the ACMI’s certification program in protecting children and other consumers.”
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The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. is an international association, composed of a diverse and involved membership, and is recognized as the leading authority on art and craft materials. ACMI’s members are art and craft material manufacturers, and currently there are over 210 members. Since its inception, ACMI’s certification program has certified that products in the program are either non-toxic or appropriately labeled with any cautionary language and safe use instructions. Of the 60,000 art materials in the program, 100% of the children’s products and 85% of those meant for the adult artist are certified as non-toxic. This certification program has received the endorsement of experts in the field of toxicology and is one of the finest industry programs in existence. ACMI seeks to create and maintain a positive environment for art and craft materials usage; to promote safety in art and craft materials; and to serve as an information
and service resource on art and craft materials. Press kits are available from ACMI.