October 5, 2016.
According to a report from the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES), children’s toys are not dangerous for their health.
Plastic toys do not present any health risks
ANSES issued an opinion on Monday 3 October relating to “ plastic toys and equipment intended for children under three years of age “. His work aimed to assess the possible toxicity of plastic toys that children easily put in their mouths. In particular, it was necessary to assess the dangerousness of the phthalate substitutes present in particular in PVC.
The researchers therefore carefully examined the composition of around thirty toys, as well as accessories such as bibs, teething rings, or even pacifiers, ” representative of what parents use most frequently “. Result: their analyzes ” do not demonstrate any health risks for children under three years of age putting tested toys in their mouths “.
Phthalate substitutes in toys
While some phthalates have been banned in toys in the European Union since 1999, because they have been identified as endocrine disruptors, other substances (ATBC, DINCH, DEHTP, TXIB, DOIP) have replaced them. These substances are used in particular to soften materials plastics.
If the risk has been ruled out for toys containing ATBC, DEHTP, DINCH, or TXIB, on the other hand, for those containing DOIP, “ the health risk could not be assessed due to the absence of data on the dangers of the substance “, Said ANSES, which recommends” do not use it without having first acquired knowledge about its toxicity “.
Read also: Endocrine disruptors
