terça-feira, 5 de fevereiro de 2008

Produtos para bebés e os ftalatos

A propósito de uma notícia que saiu no JN de hoje, resolvi pesquisar na revista "Pediatrics" o trabalho original de investigadores americanos. A notícia do JN podia (e devia) dar mais e melhor informação. No artigo da "Pediatrics", pode ler-se que:
Phthalates are synthetic, man-made chemicals of increasing public importance because of potential toxic effects to the developing endocrine and reproductive systems. They are used in the manufacturing of a wide variety of industrial and common household products. These chemicals are found in plastic products such as children's toys, lubricants, infant care products, chemical stabilizers in cosmetics, personal care products, and polyvinyl chloride tubing. Phthalates are not chemically bound to these products and are therefore continuously released into the air or through leaching into liquids, leading to exposure through ingestion, dermal transfer, and inhalation. Children are uniquely vulnerable to phthalate exposures given their hand-to-mouth behaviors, floor play, and developing nervous and reproductive systems.
(...) In the United States, there is no requirement that products be labeled as to their phthalate content. Parents may not be able to make informed choices until manufacturers are required to list phthalate contents of products. Until additional information is available on infant care product phthalate content, providers may want to educate and counsel families regarding phthalate exposures via infant care products and potential ways to reduce exposure to these chemicals. Several companies have started to decrease use of phthalates in the production process and label products as phthalate-free, but safety of these alternatives has yet to be established. If parents want to decrease exposures, then we recommend limiting amount of infant care products used and not to apply lotions or powders unless indicated for a medical reason.

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