Everyone will have happened to buy children's toys on Amazon, Ebay and Wish thinking above all of the savings that these sites offer. However, a Danish test shows that toys that have come online may contain excessive levels of phthalates, substances that are harmful to the endocrine system.
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Everyone will have happened to buy toys for children on Amazon, Ebay and Wish thinking above all of the savings that these sites offer. However, a Danish test shows that toys that have come online may contain excessive levels of phthalates, substances that are harmful to the endocrine system.
A Danish association, FBR Tænk Kemi, sounded the alarm about cheap plastic toys sold by well-known e-commerce sites, which analyzed 29 games purchased online on Wish, eBay or Amazon.
In Denmark, phthalates are banned in toys for children aged 0-3, while in toys for children up to 14 there are severe restrictions on the amount they can contain. Strict rules regarding phthalates are shared across the EU.
The results
The test showed that in 9 samples the phthalate concentrations were higher than those permitted by law. In many cases, the limit value was exceeded by more than 200 times!
1 in 3 toys contained illegal phthalates and specifically:
- 8 toys contained the DEHP, endocrine disruptor and illegal in toys. The content was between 2,1 and 21,1%.
- 4 toys contained the DIDP, which is prohibited in toys and baby items that can be put in the mouth. The content was between 0,12 and 1,0%.
- 4 toys contained the DINP, which is prohibited in toys and baby items that can be put in the mouth. The content was between 2,6 and 10,4%.
- 1 toy contained the DBP, endocrine disruptor and illegal in toys. The content was 0,15%.
Of these 9 toys, 4 had come to Wish, 3 to Amazon and 2 to Ebay.
Phthalates are added to some toys to soften materials such as plastic, foam or rubber but exposure to these substances by children is a danger that should not be underestimated. These are in fact endocrine disruptors which in some cases have also shown the ability to damage fertility.
The problem is very serious as children, especially younger ones, tend not only to stay in close contact with toys but also to put them in their mouths, thus absorbing the offending substances through their skin or mouth.
These are the 9 offending toys ...
Only the following 3 games were found to be completely phthalate-free:
How to defend yourself
Toys sold on the web at very cheap prices are often produced in China where obviously the rules are different. Buying toys online, therefore, it is difficult to be sure that they meet the minimum requirements that toys produced in the EU should have, unless you do a research to really understand where they come from.
The first tip is definitely that of do not buy from China directly nor from non-European websites.
It is also good to always choose toys with the CE mark, in this way the manufacturer demonstrates that the product complies with the toy law in force in the EU.
Other useful tips can be found in our article "How to choose safe toys without toxic substances".
In light of these analyzes, the sale of the offending toys has been suspended but how many other pitfalls are still hidden in online sales (and not only)?
Read also:
- Colored pencils and crayons of… phthalates and hydrocarbons. The MARCHE promoted and rejected
- Pickup doll made in China for over-the-limit phthalates
- Stop to phthalates, BPA and endocrine disruptors: the European Parliament calls for a dividend in cosmetics, toys and food
