Most Plastic Toys in India are Toxic

The reason why I write this article is because I just bought toys for my son. He is almost two year-old now, and I bought him robots made of plastic. I am disappointed with the quality of the toy, it was packed in a plastic package, so when we opened the package, we knew that it was not made of good plastic. There are some classifications of plastic that we should know as parents.

A study released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has stated that most toys in India are toxic. They tested some plastic toys bought from the Indian market, and they found high levels of phthalates, in all samples of toys it tested. Phtalates is a chemical used to soften plastic.

“We randomly purchased 24 toys from different parts of Delhi, especially those toys that children are more likely to chew and suck. Out of 24 toys, 15 were soft and nine were hard. These toys were manufactured in China (14), India (7), Taiwan (2) and Thailand (1),” said CSE Associate Director Chandra Bhushan.

The result of the study can be summarized as follows:

• From all the samples tested, over 45 percent exceeded the internationally safety limits for phthalates.
• Taiwanese and Chinese toys were the most contaminated.
• Taiwan toys exceeded the safe limits by 100 percent.
• Eight out of 14 toys manufactured in China exceeded the limits.
• Pip Squeaks, a toy manufactured by Funskool Ltd, for 3-18 months old had highest levels of phthalates. It exceeded the standards by 162 times.

We rely so much on the information written on the toy, but based on the study, the Pip Squeaks label says – non toxic, suitable for ages 3 – 18 months. It put us in a really difficult situation. The only information that we got before buying the toys is the information that’s written on the label. If the label is not saying the truth, then where could we find the reliable information?

I am not saying that all plastic toys are toxic, but we should be more careful in choosing toys for our children. Branded toys don’t always give you guarantee that the toy is safe. Major brand like Funskool and Mattel were found to contain phthalates in a very high concentration.