The Ecology Center, a non-governmental organization based in Michigan, recently released the results of a survey on picnic-related products, finding that over 96% of 58 commonly used outdoor picnic products contained detectable substances of concern.
The Ecology Center indicated that among the substances of concern detected, those with levels exceeding 40 ppm included antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and phthalates. Flame retardants, such as brominated flame retardants, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and organotin compounds, were also detected. Approximately one-third of the products were found to contain more than three of the aforementioned hazardous substances.
The harmful substances targeted in this test are all associated with causing harm to human health, typically leading to problems such as asthma, birth defects, cancer, learning disabilities, and infertility. Many of these harmful substances have been banned or restricted in the United States for use in children's products.
The tested products included folding chairs, parasols, water toys, tablecloths, placemats, and picnic baskets, all purchased from eight of the top ten retailers in the United States. However, the products found to contain harmful substances came from Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.
Although there are currently no regulations mandating that picnic-related products must not contain the harmful substances detected above, these large companies still have a responsibility to safeguard the health of consumers and replace the well-known harmful substances with safe chemical substances, which is a demonstration of corporate social responsibility.
Please refer to the following for detailed survey results: http://www.healthystuff.org/findings.080813.picnic.php
Sources: Chemical Watch (2013-08-14) (Compiled by PIDC)
