The latest British study found that second-hand plastic toys may carry toxic substances or do not meet the current toy safety standards, thus threatening the health of children.
Researchers at Plymouth University draw 200 second-hand plastic toys, such as toy cars, trains, cards, jigsaw puzzles, from nurseries, schools, thrift stores and common homes in southwestern England. The toys are not too big and the little ones may put them The researchers used X-ray fluorescence analysis to examine whether they contained 9 toxic substances such as antimony, lead, cadmium, chromium and bromine.
The results show that 20 toys contain all 9 toxic substances and half of them contain bromine, lead and cadmium in excess of the current toy safety limits set by the European Council, which means that children may be chronically poisoned if they come into contact with these toys for a long time; once Put toys in the mouth, the risk is greater.In addition, red, yellow and black plastic toys are most likely to detect excessive levels of toxic substances, while some of the toys at the factory did not meet the current toy safety standards.
Dr Andrew Turner, who led the study in an article in the monthly "Environmental Science and Technology" in the United States, said it was the first systematic investigation of toxic substances in second-hand plastic toys in the United Kingdom and reminded, be it for friends or relatives or for the flea market Amoy, second-hand toys are attractive economically for many families, but adults should learn more about their potential threats to their children's health.