The program “Vert de rage”, broadcast on France 5, notes that many children’s toys contain bromine. This substance is a carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor.
- The program Vert de rage detected abnormal quantities of brominated flame retardants in children’s toys.
- These products are considered endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.
- They can have effects on fertility and thyroid function.
A few days after Christmas, many children are enjoying their new toys. A investigation of the show Green of rage For France 5 encourages us to change our outlook on these small objects. According to the journalists’ findings, 10% of the toys tested in their trial contained brominated flame retardants in quantities above regulatory limits. These products, which are used to reduce the risk of fire, are considered carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
Bromine: too high quantities in toys
The documentary team tested around a hundred toys with a tool called an “X-fluorescence gun” which allows them to check the amount of bromine present. French law stipulates that toys must not exceed 500 mg/kg: 10 toys out of 100 contained more. “Some toys sometimes showed alarming levels, such as a plastic rifle where the concentration of brominated flame retardants reached 5,708 mg/kg, more than ten times the authorized limit.specifies an article from France Information. These results were confirmed in the laboratory of Petra Pribylova, a European specialist in flame retardants.”
Toys from different brands were analyzed. The company Action claims that the tests it has carried out do not show “none issue“. As for the Carrefour group, it alerted its manufacturer, Ferry, which claims to have been “probably deceived by an unscrupulous supplier who probably used recycled plastic in his products without his knowledge. Ferry explained that he added the dosage of flame retardants to the list of analyzes carried out each month.
What are the health effects of bromine?
These chemicals may have effects on fertility or thyroid function. “If your baby ever puts a brominated plastic in his mouth, you will not be able to detect an effect instantly.warns Pierre Hennebert, former environmental chemist at the National Institute of Industrial Environment and Risks (Ineris) and specialist in these substances, in the Vert de rage report. But if you have repeated exposure over many years, you can have hormonal effects called endocrine disruptors.”
Flame retardants: firefighters are also concerned
The documentary Green of Rage will be broadcast on January 15 on France 5. Previously, the team was interested in the exposure of firefighters to these substances. Their data showed that 4% of firefighters developed cancers linked to pollutants, including brominated flame retardants.
