Dear Friend,

What's stinkier than day-old-dirty dishes left over from Thanksgiving?  A corporation that doesn't live up to its public promises.

In 2008, Toys"R"Us publicly promised (even issuing a news release!) to reduce the use of toxic toys that contain polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC) from their products and packaging, and to offer more PVC-free products.¹  It seemed like Toys"R"Us had finally figured out that PVC chemicals - which have been linked to rising chronic diseases in children including asthma, learning disabilities, obesity and cancer² - had no place in children's toys.  It was about time!

Now [more than] two years later, it appears that Toys"R"Us doesn't know the meaning of the word promise, since they have continued to sell toys and infant products that are made of, and packaged in, PVC.  So, on this "biggest shopping day of the year," we're sending a message to Toys"R"Us that they need to fulfill their promise to protect our kids from toxics.

Join thousands of families fed up with yuck: Tell Toys"R"Us to keep their promise to keep kids safe from toxic PVC chemicals in toys!

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ToxicToysRUs/

Moms have a lot of power when it comes to retail.  In fact, mothers account for 2 trillion dollars worth of purchases.³ So when we speak up, companies have a tendency to listen.

How do we know Toys"R"Us isn't living up to it's promise?

Independent researchers with the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor conducted two rigorous rounds of testing on [more than] 60 random toys using the same devices as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This rigorous testing proved one thing: Despite promises to reduce toxic chemicals in toys, Toys"R"Us continues to sell products made out of PVC, the "poison plastic", without adequate cautionary labeling for parents.⁴

What exactly does PVC do to children?

Polyvinyl chloride has a fun nickname beyond its PVC acronym: It's called the "Poison Plastic".  Chemicals released by the PVC lifecycle have been linked to reproductive problems, increased allergies, and obesity.⁴  And exposure from toys is super easy: Toys are constantly handled, bitten, sometimes even slept with.  Toxic chemicals, like organotins, in the PVC toys can leach out as a result.

These exposures to toxic PVC additives are especially of concern for children because their rapid growth and development makes them more vulnerable than adults to exposure to toxins.

It's past time for Toys"R"Us to come through for kids.

Don't forget to tell Toys"R"Us to keep their promise to keep kids safe from toxic PVC chemicals in toys:

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ToxicToysRUs/

Please take a moment now to forward this email and action link along to friends and family now so they too can take the toxics out of toys!

P.S. A giant thank you to Center for Health, Environment & Justice (http://www.chej.org) and the Teamsters Office of Consumer Affairs (http://www.teamsters.org) for their work on this issue and for the fantastic report: "Toxic Toys"R"Us — PVC Toxic Chemicals in Toys and Packaging" (http://www.toxictoysrus.com/documents/Toxic-Toys-Report_11.17.10.pdf).

P.P.S. HealthyStuff.org has compiled a database to help you select safer toys this holiday season.  The best part?  You can put this handy resource in your pocket.  Click here to download the HealthyStuff.org application for iPhones and Blackberries, or use their text messaging service.

¹"Toys"R"Us, Inc. Announces further enhancements to its stringent product safety requirements," Toys"R"Us Inc., February, 2008 http://www.toysrusinc.com/press-room/releases/general/2008/toysrus-inc.-announces-further-enhancements-to-its-stringent-product-safety/

²"Toxic Toys"R"Us, PVC Toxic Chemicals in Toys and Packaging a A Report to the National Commission of Inquiry into Toxic Toys," Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), Teamsters Office of Consumer Affairs, November 2010 (http://www.toxictoysrus.com/documents/Toxic-Toys-Report_11.17.10.pdf)

³"Social Media Campaigns That Moms Love," Chief Marketer, April 2010 http://chiefmarketer.com/demographics/0427-social-mom/?cid=nl_cm_report

⁴Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families: http://www.saferchemicals.org

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