(Sacramento) — Landmark legislation to outlaw a group of toxic chemicals used in plastic children’s toys and other products has been approved by the State Legislature. In this Assembly Web Report for Wednesday, September 5, 2007 we learn AB 1108, authored by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature or veto. Additional background on AB 1108: AB 1108, which would make California the first state in the country to ban dangerous chemicals used in baby toys, was given final approval this week. The law follows the lead of Canada and Mexico in banning the chemical, making the United States the only place in North America where you can buy phthalates-laced products for newborns and infants. 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. Phthalates 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 United States has become a dumping ground for chemical filled toys that are banned in much of the industrialized world,” Assemblywoman Ma said. “Governor Schwarzenegger has a tremendous …