Can even a child’s toy be dangerous?

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Citation of this page: Jouko Tuomisto: Arsenic to Zoonoses. Opasnet 2024. [1]. Accessed 22 Dec 2024. This page has also been published elsewhere: 100 kysymystä ympäristöstä ja terveydestä: arsenikista öljyyn. Kustannus Oy Duodecim, Helsinki 2005. ISBN 951-656-221-3.
Upload data {{#opasnet_base_link:Op_en4473}}	Unlike most other pages in Opasnet, the nuggets have predetermined authors, and you cannot freely edit the contents. Note! If you want to protect the nugget you've created from unauthorized editing click here Chapters in the book Arsenic to Zoonoses: Perception of the risks around us Is it the final straw that breaks the camel’s back? Is expert jargon just a way to confuse the man in the street? What is the wisdom in “It’s the dose that determines that a thing is not a poison”? What is a “chemical” after all? Is it more dangerous for us than for our ancestors? Are the risks of the domestic and the workplace environments different? Is man defiled by what goes to his mouth? What is safe to drink? Does water chlorination cause cancer? Are blue-green algae a risk to your life or at least to your liver? Does aluminium cause dementia? Arsenic in the drinking water – reminiscent of the movie “Lavender and old lace”? Are we starting to glow from the uranium in our environment? Fluoride – friend or foe? Blind drunk – or dead drunk? What is really dangerous in our diet? Should we be concerned about the amounts of additives in our diet? May even our cooking habits hurt us? Why not re-freeze thawed out frozen food? The dirty dozen – not just an old movie? Where do the dioxins come from? Are the dioxins the most dangerous chemicals in our environment? Are the PCB compounds really super-poisons? What on earth is PBDE? What are the hormonal disrupters? Tin poisoning – wasn’t even grandma’s copper kitchenware tin-plated? Are heavy metals still a problem today? Is mercury a quicksilver bullet or a slow poison? If this kills insects, what effect is it having on me? The whole field was brown-coloured; should you even go near it let alone eat anything growing there? Should we only eat “organic” products? Isn’t it safe to eat everything that grows naturally? Is it safe to eat wherever it’s convenient? What if alcohol were treated as a chemical contaminant in food? A favourite of children - and some adults too Can even a child’s toy be dangerous? How does the environment affect the child in the womb? Is impregnated wood safe in my garden or children’s playground? Can you catch toxoplasmosis from cat litter? What are children’s waterproof clothes made of? Are people too clean for their own good? Are cosmetics chemicals? Should we have antibiotic chemicals present in everyday domestic items? How safe are detergents? Can noise cause true health problems? Is allergy more common today? A healthy suntan – or is it? Should solariums carry a health warning? The air that we breathe What’s wrong with the air in our cities? People don’t die of carbon monoxide poisoning any more – do they? Can the air go up in flames? Ozone – I thought it was the hole in the ozone layer that we need to worry about? Should we go back to heating our homes with wood-burning stoves? Climate change – will it affect our health? Is formaldehyde another type of formalin? Benzene – isn’t it only found in chemistry sets? Can environmental cigarette smoke cause lung cancer? Is there radiation in my home? Do we need to monitor the quality of the air in our homes? How can a building become sick? Do our recreational pastimes require special ventilation systems? Is asbestos still a problem today? What happens when a building suffers moisture damage? Legionnaires’ disease – why should I worry, I’m not in the Foreign Legion? How do air fresheners really work? How to protect our common environment? Why is it worth investing in environmental protection? Indigenous populations live in harmony with their environment, don’t they? Environmental equilibrium and chemicals – impossible or not? Down the drain – is it a case of out of sight, out of mind? Should we compost all our household waste? Does it make sense to burn our domestic waste in power stations? Is clean energy from biomass a myth? Which type of energy production is friendliest to human health? What was the impact of the Chernobyl disaster in Europe? Is it safe to live close to polluted land? Does environmental protection also mean improved health? If we care about our environment, should we all be vegetarians? Which environmental factors increase my blood pressure? Here a risk, there a risk, everywhere risks, risks! Are there problems in the present risk assessment practices? What is risk management? What are the most common misconceptions about risks held by the man in the street? Why are experts usually so sceptical? Why do different people rate different risks so differently? Can you lessen your own personal chemical burden? Why are people afraid of dental amalgam? What do we mean by the term “life cycle analysis”? The precautionary principle – better safe than sorry? Are GM foods Frankenfoods? Mutagenesis, carcinogenesis and other scary words – what do they really mean? Which type of radiation poses the greatest threat to our health? Are most cancers caused by exposures to chemicals? Is cancer more common today than it was in the past? We breathe oxygen; it can’t be dangerous, can it? Why are animal experiments still needed? Are electric lines and transformers dangerous? How dangerous is it to use a mobile phone? We are surrounded by risks but which of them should we take seriously? Are inhabitants of different countries exposed to different risks? Before we go on holiday which environmental health precautions should we take? Should risk assessment be more transparent? Is environmental science just another religion? What happens if the human race presses the self-destruct button?

Toys are a special case when one has to estimate not only chemical risks but also other risks, because toys are used almost exclusively by small children, and they may use toys in a totally different way than could be imagined by any adults. Furthermore, their small bodies may be more sensitive to the toxic effects of chemicals. The safety of toys is regulated in seven detailed standards issued by the European Union.

Chemicals

Toys must not contain dangerous chemicals to the extent that they might jeopardise the health of children playing with them. Thus the use of carcinogenic substances in toys is totally forbidden, and maximum limits have been set for all dangerous chemicals. The basis for the health risk assessment is the possible intake of a chemical by a child.

In toys, the chemicals most likely to cause problems are nickel, heavy metals lead and cadmium, and phthalates. In principle, the risks of all of these chemicals are manageable according to the existing legislation. An example is a risk assessment conducted in the United States which assessed the risks of phthalates in toys, especially if the child puts them into her/his mouth and sucks the item. Phthalates such as di-isononylphthalate are used as plasticizers (softeners) in PVC plasticware. The assessment concluded that children are not exposed to the di-isononylphthalate to the extent that any health risks would be possible. Since market surveillance is rather haphazard, however, it is quite possible that there are toys on the market that do not fulfil the criteria.

Control

There are two ways that authorities monitor toys. They may investigate some particular toy if they receive complaints and to some extent they also have a system of continuous monitoring. Currently this is a special challenge, because many toys are manufactured in the developing countries even though they may be marketed under well-established western trademarks.

In one Christmas sales period in Finland it was found that only 60–70% of toys fully complied with all safety regulations, in 20–30% of them information and directions for use were incomplete, and in 10% there were such serious shortcomings that the product had to be taken off the shelves and/or banned. Often the risks are due to the way the toy has been produced; there may be detachable small parts that children may swallow or that may cause suffocation. Occasionally paints contain toxic substances such as lead or cadmium. Thus quite a high percentage of toys on the market are potentially dangerous, and the situation can only be improved by more efficient inspection.

There are adequate legislation and rules on the safety of toys, but no premarket approval is required. Therefore the compliance by manufacturers can only be guaranteed by the vigilance of inspection. Parents also have a responsibility to check the safety of their children's toys.

One level up: A favourite of children - and some adults too

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