Letters: Feb. 5, 2007

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GEORGE LU Rockville, Md.

"The Chinese Century" convinced me that by buying products made in China I am supporting that country's political nonintervention policies in areas like Darfur and helping perpetuate a disgusting lack of regard for the value of human life. From now on, I am going to focus on buying American-made products.

JANET THURSTON Brighton, Mich.

Try, Try Again

"Looking for the Restart Button" [Jan. 22] stated that part of President George W. Bush's strategy for saving his presidency involves a "new way forward" in Iraq. But, just as the reasons for the war were baseless, there is no imaginable outcome that could be called a victory, although this doesn't mean that the brave men and women who have fought in Iraq have been defeated. The ignominious defeat belongs to the Bush Administration and it alone. Let's make sure that not one more person dies for Bush's mistaken adventure.

JOHN COSGROVE Keyport, N.J.

In December 2005 nearly 70% of adult Iraqis took the trouble to vote in their national elections. If we are not willing to fight to help decent Iraqis establish democracy, what are we willing to fight for? Some commentators have pointed out that more Americans have died fighting in Iraq than during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. They forget that more Americans died on the beaches of Normandy in an hour on D-day than in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

BARB YAGLEY Troy, Mich.

Safe Plastics

"What's Toxic in Toyland" [Dec. 11] included misleading information about substances that make plastic toys and other children's products soft (phthalates) and shatterproof (bisphenol A., or BPA). Phthalates have been used in consumer products for more than 50 years. During that time, no reliable research has ever found that phthalates cause negative health effects in humans. The Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2003 completed a four-year review of the main phthalate used in vinyl toys (called DINP) and found "no demonstrated health risk" and "no justification" for banning it, as the City of San Francisco has done. Exhaustive governmental safety reviews of these products in the U.S. and in Europe have found phthalates safe for children's toys. In addition, studies by scientists at Harvard University, the European Commission and others have shown that BPA is also safe as used. We are concerned that TIME's story may lead consumers to abandon safe plastics for products that are potentially hazardous to children because they can break and cause choking, cuts and other serious risks. As former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop says, "The enemy is not tiny amounts of chemicals that have proved safe for many years."

SHARON KNEISS VICE PRESIDENT, PLASTICS DIVISION AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL Arlington, Va.

President Ford's Legacy