Toys With Dangerous Plastics Will Stay in Stores

U.S. officials have decided that the new federal ban on the use of the dangerous chemical phthalate in teethers, pacifiers and other children's products will not apply to goods containing this chemical that are already in warehouses or on store shelves.

The decision to allow these dangerous products to remain in stores was made by the general counsel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The ban takes effect February 10, 2009.  After that date, it will be illegal to manufacture any products that contain phthalate.  This chemical is dangerous because it has been linked to reproductive problems.  The ban was passed in August 2008 as part of a landmark federal product safety law.