Plastic toys contain a large number of potentially hazardous chemicals. Image credit: Image edited by 
And as parents, how can we avoid toys that contain the most potentially harmful substances if there are no clear warnings on toy packaging? There is no consensus on toy labeling regulations, much less an agreement on which substances should be banned.
Worldwide, there is great concern that children's toys may contain harmful substances such as phthalate plasticizers, brominated flame retardants, colorants and metal-containing stabilizers, as several of these substances can pose a health risk, either individually or in combination. And although regulations exist in many countries to control the use of harmful substances in toys, they focus on the use of phthalates and brominated compounds, but there is no international consensus to globally control the use of potentially harmful substances in children's toys, nor do they cover the wide range of substances that can be found in such articles.
That is why researchers from DTU and the University of Michigan, along with UN Environment, have addressed this important issue and analyzed the chemicals found in plastic toys and quantified children's exposure, the study was recently published in the journal Environment International. The objective of the study was to develop an approach to examine the various chemicals found in plastic toys and identify potential chemicals of concern.
For the study, hard, soft and foam plastic toys were analyzed; and of the 419 substances found in these, 126 potentially harmful substances were identified, including 31 plasticizers in soft toys, 18 flame retardants and 8 fragrances, for this, the researchers gathered information on the composition of toys from chemical tests performed on specific toys and collected in 25 different peer-reviewed studies. In addition, the chemical emissions of these toys and the exposure of children were estimated using a series of models.
General structure of the phthalate molecule, a very dangerous substance used as a plasticizer. Image credit: wikipedia.com.
The researchers were able to establish that many of the substances found appear in some regulatory lists, however, they do not appear in others and that there are substances of concern that are not mentioned in any list.
Some of the chemicals of concern found in the study are as follows:
This study indicates that there is a significant amount of chemicals used in plastic toys that should trigger alerts, although the level of exposure is low, in the same study it was established that in Western countries children have an average of 18 kg of toys, which makes it evident that they are surrounded by plastic on a daily basis.
Undoubtedly, this is something that should concern the authorities with competence in the matter, since they should be properly alerted about the type of materials that children's toys are made of and encourage the substitution of these for safer and more sustainable substances. Although we cannot keep plastic toys away from our children, the best thing to do is to avoid their accumulation in the rooms where children sleep, frequently ventilate the places where they are stored and better avoid the use of soft plastic toys.
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