Nuby Responds to Healthy Toys Positive Test for PVC in Nibbler Net

UPDATE 12/18/08 (see below)

When the Ecology Center released their 2008 test results on HealthyToys.org, I was surprised to find a positive test result for PVC on the Nuby Nibbler Net.  I immediately contacted Nuby to find out if the information they gave The Soft Landing initially could have been incorrect.  Our U.S. distributor began an investigation of the materials used in production, and we heard back today:  Nuby’s Q.A. Dept. reports that every part of the Nibbler is definitely PVC-free and the net is made from nylon (also called polyamide fiber).  Nuby is in the process of contacting Healthy Toys to rectify this situation.

Healthy Toys has reported results like this before, where a product known to be made of PVC-free materials tested positive for PVC.  I found this confusing and tried to contact them beginning in March 2008 to get their input on the matter.  Up through today, I’ve left several phone messages and emailed them twice with no response.  Here’s a copy of the email I sent following a helpful discussion with Mike Schade of CHEJ:

I’m curious about non-PVC products that are packaged in PVC.  I wondered about cross-contamination, and whether it was possible for chlorine/PVC to become cause a non-PVC item to test positive for PVC.  I contacted Mike Schade of besafenet.com to ask his opinion on the topic.  He explained that PVC can absolutely cross-contaminate food products, may be able to the same with non-PVC plastic products.  He mentioned that products packaged in PVC should always be washed thoroughly before use.

This brings me to my question for you.  Do you test products like the Sassy Feeding Pots after a thorough washing, or are they tested right out of the package?  If they are tested right out of the package, would it be possible to get a false positive result that might be different after the product is washed (as would be done in real life use)?

I recently wrote an article on this subject for Healthy Child, Baby Products Packaged in PVC.  While adding a link to the Sassy Feeding Pot results for 2007 from the Healthy Toys website, I noticed they had added a new column to the page called “Package (pvc 50% cl)”, which is where the positive PVC results are now listed.

At this point, I have to assume that the Nuby Nibbler was taken straight out of its package and tested, causing a positive PVC result.  In the meantime, I will continue to suggest washing all new toys housed in firm, clear packaging thoroughly with hot soapy water and/or distilled vinegar – just in case there is any residue left on the surface of the toy.

UPDATE 12/18/08: I finally heard back from HealthyToys.org in response to our questions about their testing methods for the Sassy Feeding Pots and Nuby Nibbler results.

1) They began by pointing out a disclaimer they have on their website in an effort to “make sure consumers do not confuse this data as applicable to the current product” – meaning each year’s test results do not apply to any other year’s results:

“Archive Data Notice: Product details below reflect testing performed by HealthyToys.org prior to January 01, 2008. Data shown should not be considered accurate or representative for similar products manufactured or sold after January 01, 2008. ”

2) They confirmed that my theory on PVC packaging contamination was correct.  It turns out they they do test all products straight from the package without washing either the product or the package.

3) They confirmed that the Sassy Feeding Pots included test results for the packaging itself, not just the surface of the Feeding Pots themselves:

“However, because the packaging results were confusing to many consumers–and many were not concerned about it for the reasons you mentioned (it is thrown in the garbage, the products are washed), we removed it as a factor in the 2007 test results.  Unfortunately, we missed the packaging results for the Sassy Insulated Feeding Pots.  We have gone into the archived data and removed this test result.”

4) They confirmed that the Nuby Nibbler does NOT contain PVC:

“With regard to the Nuby Nibbler Net, we re-tested this product, and found PVC packaging within the mesh that we initially mistook for part of the product.  During our re-test, we removed the internal packaging and have re-posted the new results on the site.  The mesh itself does not contain PVC.”

I’m glad to have this whole mess clarified, but I have to admit to wondering about hundreds of other positive PVC test results.  It seems HealthyToys.org needs to work on their testing methods in order to provide more accurate information to parents.

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