A simple migration test and a more complicated simulation of children's sucking and biting was used to establish migration of DEHP from PVC child-use articles into saliva and compared to a mimic test. The static migration test of a film containing approximately 30% DEHP with saliva simulant gave the lowest values of DEHP; simple shaking increased the amounts of DEHP from 25 +/- 8 to 499 +/- 153 micrograms/g film. The more complicated arrangements to simulate sucking and biting are not so suitable for standard applications. When comparing the in vitro migration tests with the mimic test the factors were 25 and 29 for the static tests (3 and 6 hours) and 1.4 for the shaking test.

In order to establish guidelines for highchair accident prevention we investigated causes, mode and complications of highchair accidents by the following methods: The charts of 103 children attending our Accident & Emergency department for highchair related injuries were studied retrospectively. Questionnaires were sent to the parents to obtain detailed information about the mode of accident. They were also asked to suggest preventive measures. In addition, a random sample survey was performed with 163 families inquiring about the rate of highchair use and the incidence of highchair related accidents. Of the 103 infants, 15.5% had sustained a skull fracture, 13.6% a brain concussion, 2.0% limb fractures and 68.9% a simple contusion of the head or lacerations to the scalp or face. The questionnaires were fully completed by 61.2% of parents. Every second family reported that their infant had tried to stand up in the highchair before falling off (only one child had been wearing a restraint). In a further 14.3% of accidents the highchair tipped over. Eighty-seven percent of parents would appreciate a pre-installation of restraints, 54.0% requested more informative instructions for users, and 33.3% asked for products with better stability. The random sample survey revealed a highchair use rate of 92%; 18% of families used highchairs equipped with restraints, and 6% reported highchair accidents sustained by their children. We conclude that most highchair accidents occur when unrestrained infants try to stand up. Pre-installed child restraints, better manuals for users and increased highchair stability should be recommended as promising accident prevention strategies. & Accident prevention, child, head injury, highchair, restraint

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In ‘The 30-year update’ of their Report to the Club of Rome concerning ‘The Limits to Growth’ (first published in 1972), the authors recalled in the preface the fundamental finding of the original report, namely that global ecological constraints related to resource use and emissions will have a significant influence on global developments in the twenty-first century. Resource constraints and the finite capacity of the Earth to absorb pollutants will – as a result of the necessary additional expenses to cope with these constraints – eventually lead to a (not necessarily abrupt) decline of the world economy. The authors initially “hoped that such deliberation would lead society to take corrective actions to reduce the possibilities of collapse”. However, despite all positive developments, the required course correction has not taken place and the global environmental status has become even worse. Some have dismissed the conclusions of a study conducted by a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) headed by Dennis Meadows, as an overly pessimistic doomsday scenario disregarding the ability of the current economic system to adapt. The important issue is that the resources are finite and, sooner or later, the limits to further growth of material and energy flows will be reached. What matters much more in this context is the missed opportunity to initiate a fundamental change with a view to preventing the overshoot by driving the system in a sustainable direction. These are thoughts that also come to mind when examining the Commission communication, ‘Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy’, published in December 2015. It is rather difficult to see how this action plan could contribute to the desperately needed fundamental change of direction associated with significantly reduced resource use, as opposed to the concept of infinite growth enriched with circular flows. In this contribution the authors articulate ANEC’s perspective on the circular economy concept presented by the European Commission in December 2015.