Toxic Toys
Study finds toxin level 100 times safe limit
Young children are at risk of serious health problems from toxic materials found in toys widely available in the capital city. A recent study, undertaken by the Environment and Social Development Organisation, identified high levels of lead, cadmium, bromine and chromium in all but one of 40 toys that were analysed. Some toys had levels of toxic chemicals that were hundreds times the safe level in Europe and the United States.
The 40 samples — which included puzzles, writing boards, tennis bats, cups, balls, cameras, aero plane, toys guns, animals, cars, and spider man outfits — were collected from markets in Dhaka and tested in the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology.
The ESDO secretary general, Shahriar Hossain, told New Age that there were no facilities available in Bangladesh to undertake such kinds of test.
‘We asked the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to test the samples. It, however, had informed us that it was not capable of doing such tests as it has never done this kind of work before,’ he said.
The study found that the levels of lead, cadmium, bromine and chromium were significantly above the internationally recommended ceilings, with even the lowest limits of heavy metals of the toys analysed found to be above the permissible limit of the European Union.
The highest level of heavy metals was found in a clay-based cups, used mostly by toddlers for playing.
The yellow-coloured cup had 8305.8 parts per million of lead, which is 615 times higher the European Union
standard and 92 times higher the United States of the America standard.
Exposure to high levels of lead can result in death. In 2006, a four-year-old boy died after swallowing a small heart-shaped locket which had a high level of lead in it, resulting in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recalling more than 1 million toys.
The tests also found that the same cup had very high levels of both cadmium and chromium — 490.5ppm and 2502.2ppm.
In the EU, levels are not allowed to be above 1.9ppm for cadmium and 37.7ppm for chromium. The acceptable levels in the United States is 75ppm and 60ppm.
The study also shows that 75 per cent of the samples were contaminated with bromine which can cause many health problems even to the heart, stomach, lungs and skin.
The highest bromine concentration was found to be 3,923ppm in a silver-coloured plastic-made camera while the average in all 40 products was 311.97ppm.
According to the study, the plastic toys are the most contaminated of all the toys and lead was the chemical which was found at the highest level of concentration in the toys.
The average lead concentration was found to be 401.78ppm in the samples. In the European Union, the permitted level is only 13.5ppm and in the United States, it is 90ppm.
The study also found that some internationally branded toys were contaminated with toxins.
‘We have found three internationally branded toys made in China and India contaminated with toxic metals,’ Shahriar said.
The Bangladesh Toy Merchant Manufacturers and Importers’ Association general secretary, M Jahidul Hoque, brushed aside the allegation of toxicity in toys.
‘We have never heard of any toxic materials in toys and we have all the government permissions including environmental and custom clearances to run the business,’ he said.
According to health experts, these toxic chemicals can affect vital organs and cause many diseases such as cancer, kidney infection, damage of lungs, heart diseases and brain damage of children.
The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research director, Mahmudur Rahman, told New Age that the levels of toxins found in the toys could affect children’s health in a significant manner.
‘These elements are slowly poisoning the children and can do a great deal of damage to human health although sometimes we do not see any instant impact of these toxic substances,’ he said.
‘As most of the time children tend to suck and chew on their toys, the children can suffer health impact from toys with heavy toxic metals,’ he said.
The study, which interviewed 50 parents about their children and toys, found that 58 per cent of parents said that their children tended to put toys in their mouth.
Eighty per cent of all toys available in Bangladesh are imported, mostly
coming from China, Thailand and India. The industry is now worth about Tk 200 crore.
The study found that 88 per cent of the parents interviewed were totally unaware of the toxicity of toys.
According to Shahriar, the toys with toxic materials still prevail on the market as the country does not have any particular law regarding the issue.
The research, undertaken between October 2012 and August 2013, was published on Friday in a report titled, ‘Toxic Toys: Heavy Metal Content and Public Perception.’
-With New Age input
