Ever buy your child a toy from the dollar store? What about school supplies or jewellery or cute, affordable home decor? Of course we all have – and now we all need to stop.
A recent study conducted by HealthyStuff working with the Campaign for Healthier Solutions shows that there are toxic chemicals in most dollar store products. In fact, 133 out of 164 products tested positive for hazardous chemicals.
The chemicals found include phthalates, polyvinyl chloride plastic which is found in PVC or vinyl, and toxic metals such as lead. Most of these chemicals tested at an alarming level and at least 32% of products went beyond the levels of phthalates that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has limited for children’s products.
These toxic chemicals in dollar stores are harming our families and could lead to serious diseases such as:
The risks involved from buying products at discount retailers are higher in children.
Exposure to hazardous chemicals and toxic metals like lead can harm brain development in children which leads to learning disabilities, brain toxicity, and other serious health impacts.
The study doesn’t even look at food products, which account for 40% of dollar store sales, and contain packing that’s a potential source of other toxic chemicals including BPA which is linked to obesity and early puberty.
Unfortunately, many low-income families don’t have much choice in the matter. Four of the largest discount retailers including Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and 99 Cents Only, total $36 billion in sales and have more operational stores in the United States than Walmart.
Luckily, there has been a recent movement in major retailers to give consumers more choice in safer products. Corporate policies available to the public that identify, disclose, and replace priority toxic chemicals with safer alternatives is thankfully becoming the norm.
Major dollar stores will soon find that the risks of selling hazardous chemicals not only lie with the consumers, but also in their own business. Other companies, such as Mattel, who have been exposed for selling harmful products, have already seen a major loss of profit.
In addition to exposing dollar stores through the findings of this study, the Campaign for Healthier Solutions is asking that discount retailers remove all hazardous chemicals from their products in store.
They also ask that all levels of government ensure dollar stores adhere to relevant laws and regulations and adopt public policies that help eliminate toxic and unnecessary chemicals when safer alternatives are available.
By letting dollar stores know families demand safe and healthy products, we can help change the policies of discount retailers. Remember, these companies are nothing without their customers, and if customers protest to buying harmful products they will be forced to comply with consumer demands.
http://themindunleashed.org/2015/03/81-percent-of-dollar-store-products-tested-contain-chemicals-linked-to-learning-disabilities-cancer-and-serious-illnesses.html
http://ej4all.org/campaigns-and-activities/campaign-for-healthier-solutions/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Dollar_Tree_at_night_-_Hillsboro,_Oregon.JPG
