Studies by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the European Union have found phthalates to be harmful to human reproductive systems in both males and females. They have also found that phthalates are also harmful to human development and pose particular risk to infants and children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found in 2003 that phthalates are in virtually every person tested and the highest levels in children and women of reproductive age. The European Union has banned phthalates from all children's toys and child care articles.