Do you know that the Squeezie duck that you bought for a bargain for your baby or the Barbie or Dora Jewelry that you bought in a roadside shop for your little girl is a killer!!!!!!!! Lead in toys is not absolutely permissible but these toys and fashion jewelry for children are laden with lead.
Branded toys like Funskool, Fisher price, Lego. Barbie, Hotwheels pose no problem but the so called
” Made in China” toys have flooded the markets now with their cheap price and attractive colurs.
In traffic signals we used to buy my son, the toys sold by children, we think that “Instead of begging, these children are earning their living, Why not help them!!!”.But by helping them, we are endangering the health of our kids!!!
When I think of traffic signal shopping, I want to caution about another product, “Don’t ever buy ear buds sold in roadside shops or in signals as they may contain recycled cotton from used cotton in hospitals, that is the reason why they are cheap!!!”
Lead in Toys- Is that True??
This all started when an NGO Toxic Links conducted a study in 2006 to ascertain the levels of Lead and Cadmium in PVC and Non PVC toys bought from 3 major cities in India (Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi)
The findings were shocking!!!!
A total of 88 samples contained Lead and Cadmium in varying concentrations.
It is widely accepted that no level of lead or cadmium in blood shall be considered as safe for children and hence every effort should be made to ensure that their environment remains free of any threat to exposure from any toxic metal.
Even after the publication of this study, there was no reaction from the government in curbing the import of these toys.
What are in these Jewelry?
Barbie and Hannah Montana are household names, with millions of children hooked onto them. Girls of all age groups, especially pre-teens and adolescents, follow their style. So their accessories, like jewelry, have become very popular.
To attract children even more, the manufacturers of these jewellery items coat them with bright colours. This coating can prove to be a problem as, most of these colours are organo-metallic compounds, which are loosely bound to the surface and can permeate the skin easily.
Most of the kids have a habit of chewing on their bracelets or lockets and chains which may be harmful as the lead may slowly enter the blood stream.
Again in 2010, Toxic Links conducted a study to ascertain the levels of lead in artificial Jewellery.
A total of 54 trinket samples ( bangles, earrings, bracelets, necklace, hoops, road sidering ) were collected from various roadside shops.
Once again the findings were shocking !!!!!
1. All the 54 children’s jewellery samples contained lead in varied range.
2. Among the total number of samples tested, ring samples contained the highest amount of lead.
3. Across all 54 samples, lead concentration is found higher in samples that have decorative colours on it especially multi-colour
4. Pink is the most common colour found in all sample groups and such samples suggest high lead levels.
5. Not only coloured jewellery samples show high lead level but also non-coated colourless jewellerysamples show high content of lead, which clearly indicates that the jewellery item itself contains lead.
The findings are a clear indication of the intensity of the problem and the dangers lead can cause with its presence in children’s jewellery.
In US and Europe there are stringent laws on the use of Lead.
But in India, which offers huge market for toys and junk jewellery, there are no standards at all, putting at stake the health of millions of children.
Some facts about Lead in toys
Lead is extremely poisonous to children and pregnant woman.
In children it may cause
1. Anemia.
2. Irritability.
3. Weight Loss.
4. Vomiting.
5. Sluggishness and Fatigue.
6. Constipation.
7. Learning Difficulties.
8. Slowed Growth.
9. If there is chronic lead exposure then it may slowly lead to brain damage, kidney shutdown and ultimately death.
So what can we do to prevent lead in toys exposure..
1. Always buy branded toys and fashion jewellery.
2. Look for the product information and check whether lead is a constituent of the painting material used.
3. Share this information with other parents and friends……
Let’s provide a Safe childhood ………..
The next post on Product Awareness is ” Why is J&J products are harmful? What is in them?”
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