Toys cause cancer, nerve paralysis

The report listing toxic toy products issued by the European Union (EU) Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Non-Food Products (RAPEX) since the beginning of the year shows that there are nearly 400 types of products originating from China that must be recalled. These include toy groups such as plastic animals, plastic weapons, remote-controlled robots, cartoon stickers, cooking toys, stuffed animals, musical toys, floats, swimming goggles, foam mats, inflatable chairs, etc.

In particular, there are 170 types containing toxic substances, most of which are phthalates, a substance used to soften plastic and one of the groups of substances that are extremely toxic to human health.

Attractive toys are often toxic.

Poison 'hidden' in toys - photo 2

“Straight from Guangdong to Saigon”

According to regulations, children's toys must have a conformity stamp (CR) to be circulated, but most wholesale and retail stores ignore this regulation.

On Tran Binh Street, next to Binh Tay Market (District 6, Ho Chi Minh City), a female employee who has worked as a saleswoman at a children's toy store for more than 5 years calmly answered us: "Everyone knows that Chinese toys are poisonous, but if you don't sell Chinese goods, what kind of toys do you sell? We still buy them whether they have a stamp or not."

According to the reporter's observations, the products in the group of toxic goods that the EU requires to be recalled are all sold wholesale here. Colorful children's cooking toy sets cost 50,000 - 72,000 VND/set; cheap plastic swords and knives cost 15,000 - 17,000 VND/piece and are contained in large black bags. "Buying wholesale here, high-end products are sold at double the price but still cheaper than the price in bookstores. As for cheap products, add 10,000 VND to each item. The goods here are transported directly from Guangdong to Saigon, there is no "returning" of goods through intermediaries in Hanoi. Buying directly from the source and selling directly to the end, so the price is the cheapest," the female employee added.

Two stalls away is the toy stall LT Thang, who just arrived from China by car, saying that the store has a series of new toy models to prepare for Tet gifts at very low prices, such as a doctor's outfit for 35,000 VND. "Bookstores and supermarkets buy them and sell them for 3 times the price, but there are still many buyers," Thang said, taking out a series of yellow plastic cars and "fixing" the unboxing price from 30,000 VND/piece; a pink plastic house assembly set for 29,000 VND/set...

The owner of a store specializing in wholesale and retail distribution of children's toys located on Thap Muoi Street (District 6) named Huong said that her family has a tradition of selling children's toys for 20 years, expanding from North to South and has a stable business in Ho Chi Minh City. "There are many warnings about Chinese toys, but until now, there has been no list sent back telling the store what to sell and what not to sell. As for toys, China has thousands of brands. For example, with this sticker, last month, I heard that it was toxic, so the number of customers buying it for retail has decreased. But it's still a little bit. If there are no stickers, there are foam puzzles," said Ms. Huong.

Many toys without CR labels are made of colorful plastic and are sold wholesale for only 15,000 - 17,000 VND/dragonfly, butterfly or cricket. As for Chinese dolls, many of which are being recalled by the EU due to toxicity, they are packaged in boxes with wholesale prices from 30,000 VND/item. Ms. Huong said that a high-end doll set costs 129,000 VND/set, and can be bought and sold for about 300,000 VND. Or electronic instruments cost 50,000 - 120,000 VND/set, and retail for "double or triple that."

Holding a story-telling Doraemon cat that we just saw at a supermarket for 95,000 VND, Mrs. Huong said she sells it wholesale for 35,000 VND/cat.

Carcinogenic, nerve paralysis

According to RAPEX's warning, the toys originating from China that this organization has "banned" from the EU market are products containing phthalates, which often attack users through the respiratory tract and are even more dangerous if children suck or chew them. Previously, this organization also issued a warning that Chinese cartoon toy stickers are on the dangerous list. In addition to phthalates, the amount of cadmium in these toys exceeds the safe level. In particular, if cadmium accumulates in the body, it will damage organs and even lead to cancer.

The results of a recent test of Chinese toy stickers by the Department of Goods Quality Management (General Department of Quality Measurement) showed that phthalate exceeded the allowable safety threshold by 480 times. Chinese balloon products also had phthalate levels that exceeded the allowable level by 400 times. Previously, a fruit-headed doll sample tested by this agency also showed excessively high levels of phthalate. Experts from the Center for Standards and Quality Measurement 3 recommend that consumers absolutely should not buy toys that exceed the allowable safety threshold of toxic chemicals such as phthalate.

Chemical researcher, Master Hong Le Tho said that phthalates are chemicals commonly used in the plastics industry and have been found to be one of the causes of endocrine disorders, especially in the male reproductive system... In 2007, the world's largest toy company Mattel had to recall nearly half a million Chinese-made toys because the paint coating contained toxic lead residue. India also announced that many Chinese-made toys contained heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, which seriously affected children's nervous system.

According to experts, samples containing hundreds or even hundreds of times more toxic substances than allowed are not only toxic to children when they hold or grasp them, but can also cause poisoning through breathing air. At that time, the child's immune and nervous systems can be permanently damaged.

According to Thanhnien online