Story highlights The US Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to ban 5 phthalate chemicals from kids products

Phthalate exposure has been linked to fertility problems, obesity, cardiovascular issues and other health problems

(CNN) Children's toys and child care products will soon have fewer chemicals in them. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted Wednesday to ban five kinds of phthalate chemicals from these products. The vote was 3 to 2 in favor of the restrictions.

Phthalates are useful to manufacturers as they make plastics and vinyl softer and more flexible. The problem is there is a growing body of evidence that ingesting and being otherwise exposed to these chemicals can be potentially harmful, particularly for growing children.

For the last couple of decades advocates have been asking manufactures to reduce the use of phthalates. The Food and Drug Administration , while it suggests that "it's not clear what effect, if any, phthalates have on human health," has noted that there has been a decline in the use of these chemicals, specifically in children's products.

There is, however, a reason that phthalates are considered "everywhere chemicals." They are still found in a wide variety of products, including the water bottle you take to work, the floors in your bathroom, the shampoo in your shower, and the wrappers around your fast food.

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