Kiss That Barbie!  Why There Is No Such Thing As A Toxic Barbie
by Nick Hill

WebMD Medical News carried this headline on March 25: Malibu Barbie, Holiday Barbie ... Toxic Barbie?   Some Vintage Toys May Ooze Chemical That Could Harm Kids"  The article stated "For generations, parents and grandparents have passed along their old Barbie dolls to little ones. Now a report shows that this might not be such a healthy idea." The report goes on to state that "some vintage toys --including Barbies -- may pose a health risk to very young children. Many newspapers, various TV stations and magazines like Time carried similar versions of this same story. In the March 1, 2000 issue Time magazine carried an article entitled "Poisonous Plastics?" Then in the March 22 issue Time magazine wrote "Time regrets that our report on concerns about plastics did not include the observations of scientists and public health groups that have found no significant risk of human health effects from the use of plastic softeners (plasticizers). We should have made it clear that the fears about ill effects are countered by strong evidence to the contrary."  The various versions of the story all demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of the nature of vinyl plastics. Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC or vinyl, has been used for more than fifty years. This plastic has been researched extensively and is used in products like water pipes, shower curtains, flooring, wire and cable insulation, automobile upholstery, food wrap, food containers, and medical articles like IV bags, dialysis tubing and syringes. A study released in Washington on June 22 by the American Council on Science and Health (headed by former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop) concluded that toys and medical devices made of soft vinyl plastic are harmless to humans.

Recent articles, including one that was carried in most major media outlets on August 23.  have suggested the same toxicity problem with vintage Barbies.  The articles suggested that "some of these items are deteriorating and oozing a chemical that could disrupt development and interfere with the reproductive system in very young children. Some European studies have shown that when PVC begins to deteriorate, a chemical is emitted that can mimic the female hormone estrogen, causing potential danger." In fact, the plastic does not deteriorate, nothing is emitted and there is no danger to humans. Studies reported to the Society of Environmental Toxicologists and Chemists confirmed that none of the plasticizers used to make toys show any estrogenic effects. This conclusion is supported by research findings of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  A basic vinyl formulation consists of PVC resin, plasticizer and heat stabilizer. Other additives can be included to achieve specific properties required for a particular application. In a few instances some vinyl dolls and action figures did tend to look and feel greasy because the plasticizer that makes the doll or figure flexible tended to migrate to the surface. With this in mind the articles stated "The plasticizer in old toys forms a tacky slime on the surface. It eventually crystallizes and turns to dust." Actually the plasticizers used in many vinyl compounds are similar in appearance to ordinary vegetable oil. A material like vegetable oil hardly qualifies as a "slime" and it will not "crystallize and turn to dust".

The various articles teach that "the best thing is to put them in a plastic bag and avoid contact with the surface" or "they can be filled with cornstarch to help absorb the plasticizers back into the doll and then stored in acid-free tissue paper." Both of these statements have no technical merit. Putting a doll in a plastic bag and/or filling it with corn starch will cause other problems to occur. Specifically, both procedures invite attack by microorganisms and accelerate the migration of plasticizer. It is not possible to "absorb the plasticizers back into the doll". The use of cornstarch is particularly poor because it is a wonderful nutrient for fungi and it will wick plasticizer out of the doll. The plasticizer itself is also a nutrient for fungi so the combination of it with cornstarch is a micro organic feast.

Note that plasticizer migration is not a common problem. It only happens if a flexible or soft vinyl doll is exposed to extreme heat or temperature
fluctuations or if the formulator made a poor choice from among the 800 odd plasticizers available. If a doll or action figure becomes sticky it should
be cleaned with a liquid detergent like Dawn (Proctor & Gamble) or with Formula 9-1-1 (Twin Pines Of Maine) which was made for that purpose.
Based on scientific half truths Greenpeace and other environmental activist groups have embarked upon a campaign to ban soft all vinyl toys. There is an old saying that applies here: A half-truth is a whole lie.

According to the Toy Manufacturers of America(TMA®) "Toys produced and sold in the United States are more highly regulated and monitored than in any other country in the world. American toy safety standards -both federal regulations and the industry's voluntary standard - are widely used as models around the globe." TMA® further states "The claims of the small group of activists that persists in frightening parents and caretakers with false
allegations of dangers posed by the plasticizers used in vinyl fly in the face of the plastic's unblemished history of proven safe use."

© Nicholas J. Hill 2000. Mr. Hill is an organic chemist with three patents in vinyl technology. His book The Definitive Book on the Care and Preservation of Vinyl Dolls and Action Figures was published in January 2000.  His company, Twin Pines offers various products for the care of vinyl dolls.