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 For the study, researchers tested 200 second-hand plastic toys they
found in homes, nurseries and charity shops. Toys included cars,
trains, action figures, puzzles and blocks - all of which were small
enough to be chewed by young children.
They discovered high concentrations of hazardous elements including
antimony, barium, bromine, cadmium, chromium, lead and selenium in
many building blocks, figures and items of jewelry that were
typically either yellow, red or black.
Even at low levels, these chemicals can be toxic to children who are
exposed to them over an extended period of time, especially when
kids chew on toys.
“The findings confirm the presence of relatively large
concentrations of chemicals which have since been restricted or
banned, including the brightly colored pigments cadmium
sulphoselenide and lead chromate,” said Andrew Turner, an
environmental health researcher at the University of Plymouth.
“The study also found evidence of large quantities of flame
retardant residues in some neutrally colored toys,” Turner said by
email. “These residues are likely derived from the recycling of
electronic waste.”
To assess the amount of chemicals in the toys, researchers used
what’s known as X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, a process that
scientists often use to determine what chemicals are in rocks,
minerals, sediments and fluids.
Researchers also did additional tests designed to simulate stomach
conditions by putting toys in a hydrochloric acid solution. Under
these conditions, several toys released quantities of bromine,
cadmium, or lead that exceeded limits permitted under toy safety
regulations in Europe.
Young children are particularly susceptible to the health impacts of
these chemicals because they have faster metabolisms than adults and
more rapid growth of organs and tissues.
While regulations in Europe and elsewhere have banned or limited use
of many chemicals in toys, children may still be exposed by playing
with something passed down through the generations or picked up at a
yard sale or second-hand shop, researchers note in Environmental
Science and Technology.
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Parents may not be able to tell toys are dangerous just by looking
at them, the study found.
For example, red and yellow Lego bricks from the 1970s looked
similar to Legos from the 1990s, but the older versions contained
cadmium that wasn’t present in the newer ones.
The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether
or how exposure to certain chemicals might lead to health problems.
Researchers also didn’t systematically compare the chemical content
of older versus newer toys.
Still, the findings suggest that parents should be cautious about
plastic toys because they may contain harmful chemicals that may
leech out easily when kids chew on them, said Dr. Luz Claudio, an
environmental health researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai in New York City.
“The stricter regulations that limit chemicals in toys do not apply
retroactively to older toys,” Claudio, who wasn’t involved in the
study, said by email.
As much as possible, parents can try to give kids alternatives to
plastics, whether it’s plush toys or books to play with or frozen
fruit wrapped in cheesecloth to teethe on, Claudio advised.
“As a mother, I understand that our children live in a plastic world
and are surrounded by potentially hazardous chemicals,” Claudio
said. “I think that if parents become aware of the issues, they will
come up with alternatives to protect their children.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2BiyiZw Environmental Science and Technology,
online January 19, 2018.
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