Tests Reveal Toxic Levels of Chromium in European Toys. Will the EU Respond?
A Dutch animal-protection organization announced on Monday, December 8, that laboratory tests showed two items made with dog fur contained toxic levels of chromium, a chemical routinely used in the tanning process of dog and cat fur.
The startling announcement could help secure the final signatures needed for the members of the European Parliament to press the European Commission into banning dog and cat fur across the Europe, where Humane Society International (HSI) has been investigating the trade for the past several years.
It was the second time in three months that retail items were found to contain toxic levels of chromium. HSI's Australian office announced in October that two items for sale in that country contained toxic levels of the chemical, which can damage DNA as well as cause genetic mutation and cancer. The Australian government is still deciding whether to ban dog and cat fur.
The more recent lab tests, announced by the Netherlands-based animal protection group Bont voor Dieren, showed that two items—"two cats in a basket" and a furry mouse toy, both made with dog fur—contained chromium levels well above the amount allowed under European Union (EU) law for children's toys. Under EU law, the maximum level of chromium allowed in children's toys is 60 milligrams per kilogram. (60 mg/kg).
Research showed that the cat figurine in a basket contained 290 mg/kg (the figurine by itself contained 190 mg/kg), while the toy mouse, designed for cats but also attractive to children, contained 350 mg/kg. Hazardous forms of chromium, including chromium chloride and chromium potassium sulfate, are used in the fur tanning process in China, where an estimated 2 million dogs and cats are killed annually for their fur.
British member of the European Parliament (MEP) Struan Stevenson, who has worked closely with HSI on the dog and cat fur issue, held a press conference on Tuesday in Brussels, home of the EU, to address the unfolding controversy.
"The European Commission [the legislative drafting body of the EU] contends the sale of cat and dog fur in Europe is not their problem, despite tens of thousands of citizens who want action, the majority of EU ministers of agriculture who have asked for a ban, and more than 270 MEPs who have signed the declaration, so far, calling for an EU-wide ban," Stevenson said.
"I have written Commissioner David Byrne [Commissioner of Health and Consumer Protection who has said only individual nations can legislate this issue, not the EU] to urge him to take action in this matter countless times because undoubtedly not only do these items result from great cruelty and involve significant consumer fraud, but now it is also clear they pose a considerable health risk, particularly to children."
The chromium tests and Stevenson's strong words came as the European Parliament tries to secure the remaining signatures for a Written Declaration that calls for a ban on the import, export, sale, and production of cat and dog fur in Europe. Parliament rules require that the Written Declaration have 314 signatures, or slightly more than half of the MEPs, no later than December 22, 2003, for it to become the official position of the European Parliament. To date, 274 MEPs have signed the declaration which, if adopted, would compel the European Commission to address the matter.
The Dark News Down Under
Earlier this year, HSI Australia found that a "cat in a basket" toy, made from real cat fur, had a chromium level of 2,950 mg/kg. The Australian safety standard for allowable chromium is 100 mg/kg. The toy was found to contain nearly 30 times that amount. A full length coat was also found to contain toxic levels of chromium.
At the time of the announcement, in October, Dr. Marriann Lloyd-Smith from Australia's National Toxics Network, Inc., had this to say about chromium:
"A number of these forms of chromium [chromium chloride and chromium potassium sulfate] can penetrate into cells, where they can cause DNA damage, gene mutation and chromosomal abnormality. Studies have shown a link between tanning chemicals and cancer in workers, and some forms of chromium have been identified by the World Health Organization as human and animal carcinogens."
While the chromium tests have not yet yielded tangible results in Australia, where the government has yet to adequately address the dog and cat fur issue, several European countries have already instituted bans, including Italy, Denmark, France and Greece. (For more background on HSI's fight against dog and cat fur in Europe, read EU Considers Comprehensive Ban on the Cat and Dog Fur Trade.)
To HSI Executive Director Neil Trent, the time is now for the European Commission to stop sitting on its hands over the trade in dog and cat fur.
"There is increasing compelling evidence that Europe is not just putting its consumers at risk by permitting this trade to continue, but also risking the health of European children as well," Trent said. "It's time Commissioner Byrne stopped offering excuses on why he won't act on this issue and move in a constructive manner to end this trade once and for all."