The Hidden Dangers of Toys Will Shock You

They seem so innocent. But did you know: there are many hidden dangers of toys you should know about?

By Jody McCutcheon

Once upon a time, toys were made of wood, metal, ceramic and fabric. Think: tin train sets, wood blocks, porcelain dolls and wool stuffed animals. But since the 1970s onwards, from Barbie to Lego, Tabio to Wii, there have been several hidden dangers in toys. The main one, of course, being plastic.

Children are extremely vulnerable to the chemical toxins found in plastic. So the fact that children’s toys are mainly made of the stuff and hover around the top of the list of products containing potentially dangerous levels of chemicals is very worrying indeed. But sadly, it’s not just plastics we need to worry about.

I’ve investigated the hidden dangers of toys, and here is what I think every parent needs to know.

A Dirty History

The problem of chemically toxic toys first appeared in the late 1990s. That’s when we started to truly understand the long-term danger plastics have on the human body.

Soon, research started to prove beyond a doubt that modern toys were harming kids. For example, a  2008 study by the Ecology Centre, a Michigan-based consumer-safety program, revealed that 33% of all the toys tested contained potentially harmful levels of substances. These included lead, cadmium and phthalates. And since then, further studies have still found toys laced with phthalates, chemical flame-retardants, Bisphenol A (BPA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and heavy metals.

Such ingredients can produce serious long term health problems.

For example, lead may cause behavioural and intellectual deficits. Phthalates–chemical softening agents used in plastic toys and as ‘fabric softeners’–are thought to be carcinogenic, mutagenic and linked to reproductive problems. The same health problems are related to PVC and Bisphenol A – which was once what babies’ bottles were made from.

Cadmium is associated with lung and kidney damage and was found recently in children’s jewellery, toys with batteries and paint coatings. Alarmingly, the list of harmful chemicals in children’s toys goes on.

Children are far more susceptible than adults to the ravages of these toxins. Among other reasons, their skin absorbs toxins more easily than adult skin. Plus, they engage in much more hand-to-mouth activity, so they tend to put more toxic substances in their bodies. Of course, their health won’t suffer immediately. They have many years ahead of them to incubate any health problems such as cancer that these toxic substances may foster.

The Hidden Dangers of Toys Made In China

Normally, when buying children’s toys and gifts, we check to see there are no potential  mechanical hazards like choking, laceration and other direct injuries. However, the long term effects of chemicals in toys are just as dangerous. Yet few consider these dangers when making their purchases. But the question remains: how and why do dangerous chemicals end up in products intended for the most vulnerable market?

The main problem here is cost-cutting. Low costs encourage the use of toxic products during manufacturing. This often takes place in developing countries such as China, far away from Western regulators.

For example, Mattel, the world’s largest toy company, recalled over two million toys due in 2007 due to lead-based paint violations on its American-sold toys. Leaded paint is up to one-third cheaper than non-leaded paint. So places like China, with little oversight and huge pressure to supply inexpensive materials, are very likely to  use these toxic materials in production.

Then there’s cadmium, which is a cheaper substitute for lead. The USA still has no federal regulations against it, so it ends up in many children’s products. In fact, a  2010 investigation by the Associated Press tested more than 100 children’s jewelry items from stores in Texas, New York, California and Ohio and found that some of them contained up to 90 percent cadmium. The story prompted Claire’s Accessories to take charm bracelets off the shelf and Wal-Mart to withdraw jewellery branded  Miley Cyrus and The Princess and the Frog.

But it’s not just lead and cadmium we need to worry about. As mentioned, plastics are another hazard, as we shall see.

Why Plastic Toys Are Harmful Toys

It’s never a good idea to give kids plastic toys. The inevitably end up chewing on them, releasing harmful chemicals into their systems. And this is an increasingly worrying problem, especially for little girls.

For example, jewellery made for girls is 5 times likelier than other kid’s items to contain heavy toxins, particularly cadmium and phthalates. A recent Health Canada study found cadmium in children’s jewellery at levels as high as 93%. That’s quite scary when you think of how often girls tend to chew on their necklace pendants or charm bracelets.

In fact, last year, the phthalate concern came to a head in the UK over the dangerous craze for loom bands. Testing found that many brands of these children’s charm bracelets contained phthalate levels far exceeding European Union regulations of 0.1%. In fact, two particular brands contained over 50%!

Studies by the US-based Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel suggest children with higher phthalate exposure may suffer impairments of neurobehavioral and male reproductive organ development. To make matters worse, these bands and other plastics don’t biodegrade. And the the hidden dangers of toys extend to the environment, too. For example, many types of plastic items–including children’s toys–have already been found in the bellies of sea animals and wreaking havoc on ecosystems.

Which Plastics Are The Worst

UK regulators are now demanding distributor addresses and CE marks (indicating conformity with legal requirements) for loom bands, while also suggesting parents forbid their children from putting these items in their mouths. Or better yet–stop buying loom bands altogether. In fact, due to safety concerns, UK toy giant The Entertainer removed loom band charms from shelves.

But it’s not just loom bands we need to worry about. Phthalates are found in all kinds of bendable, softer plastic based toys. They were even found in some pacifiers that the tiniest babies suck on.

Unfortunately, harder plastic toys may not be much better. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is the chemical used in the manufacturing of rigid, hard plastics like those used for baby bottles, guns and even some pacifiers.

Like phthalates, it is persistent in the environment and our bodies. It has been known to damage cells in breasts, uteruses, and prostate, and can increase developmental disorders (such as ADHD) and nervous system problems. It has also been linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Playing with Fire: Chemical Flame Retardants

It’s not just plastic we need to worry about. Another potential health problem stems from soft toys. How attached are young children to their stuffed animals? Try to imagine cartoon Calvin without cartoon Hobbes. Now imagine cartoon Calvin toting around a cartoon Hobbes dripping with chemical poison, hugging and sleeping with Hobbes at night.

Most plush toys are coated with toxic chemical flame retardants. Unfortunately, the chemicals may be more dangerous to health and environment than any fire. Yet the chemical industry invests millions yearly to protect its interest in chemical flame-retardants. T

wo of the most common are bromine and chlorinated Tris. Interestingly, chlorinated Tris was banned from use in children’s sleepwear in the 1970’s. That’s because it’s been associated with fertility defects in humans and cancer and neurotoxic effects in rats. But subsequently, it started appearing in other household items. A 2011 study found toxic flame-retardants in eighty percent of children’s products, with chlorinated Tris being the most common.

Flame-retardant dangers include cancer, lowered IQ and sperm count, compromised reproductive systems and birth defects. Chlorinated Tris is prohibited in products intended for children under age three in Canada, and many US states have restricted or banned the chemical, as has the EU Scientific Committee.

The US has no federal regulations on brominated flame-retardants (BFR), although two US states (and Canada) have banned DecaPBDE, one type of BFR. But what tends to happen when one toxic chemical is banned is that another replaces it: polychlorinated biphenyl (better known as PCB) was banned and replaced by BFR, which in turn was banned and replaced by chlorinated Tris.

What poison will come next?

Glow-Light Concerns

Turning to less dangerous – but still troublesome – toys, we come to products containing a glow light. This is another of the the hidden dangers of toys.

Generally they’re safe, and children love them (especially glow sticks!). But parents should ensure their kids are careful with these items. Specifically, they should ensure children don’t break them open. Not just because dangerous shards of broken glass may fall out, but so the glow-causing chemical contents don’t leak out.

More of the the hidden dangers of toys are the chemicals hydrogen peroxide and dibutyl phthalate. These are both used to make toys ‘glow’. But both can sting the eyes and skin, and burn the mouth and throat if ingested. The best remedies are to rinse the affected area and call poison control. Indeed, every Hallowe’en and Independence Day, poison control centers around the US receive plenty of calls from parents of children who’ve broken the sticks and received a nasty, stinging burn from the chemical glow substance.

Is it really worth the risk?

So…Who Can We Trust?

Clearly, we cannot trust the regulators. American toys are often imported from China, where there is little to no regulation on toxins in toys. And the USA, as usual, has far less regulation than there is in the EU. For example, the EU’s revamped Toy Safety Directive prohibits the use of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive toxicants (CMR’s) at specific concentrations in the production of toys. In addition, lower limits have been established for nineteen toxic substances and allergenic fragrances.

Furthermore, each toy requires a safety assessment before reaching market, including an analysis of chemical hazard, and must be marked to indicate it meets these requirements. Nonetheless, the new Toy Safety Directive still seems very lax. For example, manufacturers are allowed to self-certify their products. And – seemingly paradoxically – CMR’s are allowed into toys if no ‘suitable alternative’ exists.

But the outlook isn’t totally bleak. The United Nations Environmental Program is developing a policy called Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, which will hopefully will provide a framework for producing and using chemicals in ways that minimise significant adverse impacts on human and environmental health.

Simple Solutions

From plush toys and loom bands to glow sticks and Barbies, it seems almost all modern toys are toxic. So how can parents protect our children from these dangers?

First, just  ditch anything plastic. For younger kids, there are plenty of wooden pull toys, wood blocks, safer stuffed animals, non-lead painted metallic toys and rubber based pacifiers from companies like Oompa or Hazelnut Kids . For older tots, plenty of companies like Magic Cabin have dreamed up imaginative doll’s houses, cars and other typical toys- all are fashioned from eco-friendly materials.

Even toys giant Toys R Us knows eco-toys are the future, and now sells a line of eco-friendly products made from organic cotton and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Of course, you can also always make toys yourself–which is even more fun when the kids participate. Or buy homemade or vintage toys on sites like Etsy.

We clearly can’t rely on government regulations. What they should be aiming at instead is stimulating green initiatives for companies to produce safer children’s products. But ultimately, it comes down to parents to inform and educate themselves on the hidden dangers of toys. And then to carefully select what their kids end up playing with. Their future health depends on it.

Do you have any tips of your own on how we can avoid the hidden dangers of toys? Let us know in the comments, below!