Group warns parents vs ‘Magnetic Putty’ toy for deadly arsenic, lead content

SCREENGRAB from www.lazada.com.ph

Citing high level of toxic chemical content, environment activists warned parents on Monday against buying or allowing their children to play with slime toy called “Magnetic Putty.”

The EcoWaste Coalition said the toy was found to contain deadly arsenic and lead beyond trading standards, as reported by the European Union’s Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) for dangerous non-food products. Magnetic Putty has been pulled from the European market for safety reasons.

According to the group, the stress reliever toy is made up of a putty substance and a small cube magnet that can be stretched, torn, bounced, or squeezed.

“It’s possible that Magnetic Putty, which is sold online, is already being used by some Filipino children.  To avoid serious chemical and choking risks, they should stop using the product immediately,” stressed EcoWaste’s Chemical Safety Campaigner Thony Dizon in a statement.

“We also urge online retailers to remove the listings for the banned toy following the moves by Amazon, eBay, and Groupon as reported in the British media,” he added.

Noting the investigation of UK’s Northamptonshire Trading Standards Service, EcoWaste said that Magnetic Putty contains 32.9 milligram/kilogram (mg/kg) of arsenic while 29 mg/kg of lead.       Faye Orellana, INQUIRER.net