Urgent warning after high street toys found to contain chemicals HUNDREDS of times over safe limit
Toxic levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals lurk in children’s toys sold on Britain’s high streets, a shocking study found today.
Tests on goods offered at points of sale in Greater Manchester found that they contained high levels of phthalates.
Some were up to 300 times above permitted levels.
Exposure to the plastic softening additives can cause reproductive problems. In the past decade, phthalates have also been linked to infertility, cancer and developmental disorders.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) labeled the findings as ‘the tip of the iceberg’.
Exposure to the plastic-softening additives can cause reproductive problems and are believed to interfere with developing children’s hormones. But the risks of phthalates – which can also be carcinogenic – have been known for a number of years. Pregnant women and younger children are believed to be most vulnerable to the effects of phthalates, especially since young children are more likely to put toys in their mouths
It said it was “deeply concerned” that such large amounts of the chemicals are still being used in children’s toys.
Under current UK and EU law, toys cannot contain more than 0.1 per cent of additives.
But enforcers found that a bow and arrow toy set for sale exceeded the target — containing more than 100 times the legal limit of phthalates.
A set of fashion dolls, meanwhile, was found to have exceeded the limit 300 times.
Katrina Phillips, chief executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, said: ‘[We’re] all looking to save money wherever we can.
“But kids don’t stop having birthdays just because money is tight.
“This puts parents at real risk of buying cheap toys that don’t meet safety standards – and that can seriously injure or even kill their child.”
Phthalates are used to make plastics more durable and are found in hundreds of products, such as flooring, plastic packaging and garden tools.
People consume them by eating and drinking foods that have come into contact with phthalate particles, or by inhaling them.
Young children can also swallow them by crawling and touching many things and then putting their hands in their mouths.
The European Chemicals Agency says phthalates can “disrupt our hormonal systems and cause allergies.”
Testing by the watchdogs elsewhere in Salford also found a desktop fan heater with multiple flaws.
This included the mains plug and wires that did not meet safety standards, a counterfeit fuse and inadequate safety shields.
It came as part of a wider product safety campaign with Salford City Council’s trading standards department to investigate whether the cost-of-living crisis was putting shoppers at risk of buying dangerous cheaper goods.
CTSI visited high streets in Salford to ask consumers which products they wanted to save money on.
They found that phone chargers, toys and games, hair straighteners, toasters, kettles and washing machines were most sought after at lower prices.
It warned that similar products are being sold across the UK – usually in price-guided stores or through foreign sellers on online marketplaces – and that consumers turning to cheaper alternatives are making themselves ‘increasingly vulnerable’.
The organization said: ‘This is just the tip of the iceberg and the product safety issues brought to light are likely to repeat themselves in the UK.
“With the cost of living crisis leading consumers to turn to cheaper alternatives, consumers are increasingly vulnerable to unsafe products.”
CTSI chief executive John Herriman said: “Companies selling unsafe goods are not considering the safety of their customers.
“We see reports in the news of defective household items burning, so these unscrupulous retailers could be selling products that are deadly.
“We are urging companies to think carefully about the supply chains they use to source their products, and if they buy from foreign sellers, they should check for product safety testing information and make sure they have contact details that can be used to trace the products back to the manufacturer in case of a problem.’
He added: “No parent should buy a toy from the high street and have doubts about whether it is safe or not.
“Trading Standards is working hard to rid our stores and online marketplaces of these unsafe products, but more needs to be done to prevent these products from reaching UK shores.
“We are still awaiting the publication of the government’s Product Safety Review – hopefully this will be an essential piece of the puzzle in implementing much-needed measures that improve the safety of products including toys and electrical goods.
“It’s an issue that is simply too important to put off any longer.”