Beware of toxic boxing gloves for kids

WITH THE “FIGHT of the century” between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. just days away, an environmental watch group has warned parents about buying boxing gloves for children which may contain substances harmful to their health.

The EcoWaste Coalition revealed that two of three brands of toy boxing gloves for kids it bought recently in Divisoria and Quiapo, both in Manila, tested positive for phthalates, a chemical substance that is a “plasticizer” which makes plastic soft and flexible.

The toys were sent to an independent third party laboratory that examined the presence of phthalates, particularly DEHP, in the samples.

Of the three pairs of gloves, only the brand Speed Games New Toys which cost P120 was negative for the toxic substance.

The Toys Ultimate Spiderman brand, which sold for P100, had 9.05-percent DEHP, while the third pair worth P130 and called the People’s Champ had 3.16-percent DEHP.

These were way above the 0.1-percent limit imposed by the Department of Health on the phthalates DEHP, DBP and BBP found in children’s toys.

Health authorities in Europe and North America have also imposed similar limits on phthalates in children’s toys, after scientific studies linked these chemicals to genital abnormalities in boys such as deformed penises and undescended testicles. Other diseases that may be caused by phthalates were asthma, diabetes, obesity and cancer.