Held v. The Beistle Co., et al.

On July 6, 2009, the Sacramento County Superior Court entered a Consent Judgment in Held v. The Beistle Co., et al., which resolved citizen enforcer Anthony E. Held, Ph.D., P.E.'s allegations that the defendant The Beistle Co. ("Beistle") sold soft inflatable vinyl balls, party hats, and duck bead necklaces containing the phthalate chemical di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate ("DEHP") in the State of California without providing the requisite health hazard warnings.

As part of the settlement, except for a brief interim warning period, Beistle agreed not to sell any inflatable vinyl balls, party hats, and duck bead necklaces in California after May 7, 2009, unless the balls, hats, and necklaces contain less than 1,000 parts per million of DEHP when analyzed using state or federally approved testing methodologies. The settlement sum does not include additional fees incurred seeking judicial approval of the Consent Judgment.

The Consent Judgment requires settlement payments of $35,500, to be divided therein between civil penalties, 75% of which are paid to California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and compensation to whistleblower Held and his counsel for their successful enforcement of this matter in the public interest.