SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed landmark legislation, AB 1108, authored by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), which makes California the first state in the country to ban dangerous chemicals used in baby toys. The legislation was passed and signed during a time of increase scrutiny over toys safety.

"California continues to lead the nation in protecting children from dangerous chemicals and in safeguarding our environment," said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma. "AB 1108 sends a clear message to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that if the Bush Administration won't act, states will.

AB 1108, sponsored by Environment California, will prohibit the manufacture, sale, and distribution of toys and child care products intended for use by children under the age of three that contain certain phthalates. Phthalates interfere with the hormone system and have been linked to reproductive defects, premature birth, and the early onset of puberty, which is a cause of breast cancer. Four of the six phthalates banned in the bill are listed on California's Prop 65 list as reproductive toxins. 14 countries and the European Union have already banned or are phasing out the chemical. The bill would go into effect on January 1, 2009.

AB 1108 faced tremendous hurdles in the legislature, including heavy lobbying by the chemical industry. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Senate Pro Tem Don Perata provided strong support in both houses and Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter) carried the bill on the Senate floor.

The Governor's signature comes in the wake of additional consumer attention on the safety of toys due to a number of recent recalls. AB 1108 is modeled after a unanimously passed ordinance Ma wrote when she was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.