Toxic chemicals found in toys

A toxics watch group on Sunday warned the public to be more cautious in shopping for toys this Christmas after it found traces of poisonous chemicals in several samples it bought in Manila, Parañaque, Pasay and Quezon City.

According to EcoWaste Coalition, almost 50 percent of the 450 toys it bought from stores and street vendors in the different cities contained high levels of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury.

“Lead exposure in children via ingestion, inhalation or dermal contact can result in mental retardation, learning difficulties, lower intelligence quotient scores, growth delays and behavioral problems, as well as anemia, hearing loss and kidney injury,” EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect coordinator Thony Dizon warned.

Dizon said that toys with high lead content included action figures of popular cartoon characters, dolls, stuffed toys and kiddie chairs.

The World Health Organization has also included lead in the list of toxic metals which have “caused extensive environmental contamination and health problems in many parts of the world.” Exposure to this chemical can cause severe neurological problems, especially in children, it noted.

EcoWaste, meanwhile, advised the public to avoid purchasing toys made from polyvinyl chloride as these may contain lead and other toxic additives. EcoWaste also cautioned people to “avoid toys that [smell strongly of chemicals or perfume] and shun paint-coated toys unless certified as safe from lead.”

Reading product labels and checking chemical safety and health information will also be very helpful in avoiding lead-laden toys, it added.

The health department has required local and international toy manufacturers to properly label their products to include warnings.