Inspections by the Consumers’ Foundation and the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection on children’s toys showed that small figurines sometimes contain levels of toxic chemicals more than 100 times more than acceptable levels.
Inspectors in May tested 28 types of children’s toys sold at supermarkets, toy stores and online shopping sites and found that two contained toxic chemicals exceeding maximum allowable levels.
A sea creature coin bank made by an unknown manufacturer in China and a South Korean doll figurine manufactured by Apple Toys in China contained levels of chemical substances used as plasticizers that were more than 100 times the maximum of 0.1 percent allowed by the Chinese National Standards (CNS).
PHOTO: CNA
Chuang Suh-chyng (莊素琴), deputy director of the bureau, said the chemicals were a type of environmental hormone that acts as an endocrine disruptor, which can cause men to develop feminine characteristics and can increase risks of breast cancer in women. The chemicals can damage the liver and kidneys.
The doll figurine was also found to contain 251 parts per million (ppm) of lead, 2.8 times the legal limit of 90ppm. Lead can damage the nervous system or induce toxic overdose if consumed.
The bureau has ordered the toys to be taken off the shelves and returned to the manufacturer or destroyed.
“Young children who play with these toys may accidentally consume the harmful chemicals if they put the toys in their mouth or chew on them,” said Hwang Yu-sheng (黃鈺生), secretary general of the foundation.
Five of the toys included in the study did not come with adequate labeling of important information such as the name of the manufacturer, the manufacturer’s address, the serial number, relevant warnings and age suitability.
The consumer rights watchdog urged parents to look for product safety stickers when purchasing toys for their children and to ensure the products are clearly labeled with manufacturer information in Chinese.
Parents should also keep an eye on their children when they are playing with toys to prevent them from putting the toys in their mouth and increasing their exposure to potentially harmful substances, Hwang said.
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