Thaindian News

London, May 17 (IANS) Plastic toys could be injurious to your child’s health — these plastic products can release dangerous chemicals, a recent study has claimed.

One out of three plastic products, including some of those meant for children, contain hazardous chemicals that can leach into the surroundings, says a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg, Germany.

“Considering how common plastic products are and the amount of chemicals that humans and the environment are exposed to, it is important to replace the most hazardous substances in plastic products with less hazardous alternatives,” says Delilah Lithner, who led the study.

According to the study, a third of the tested plastic products were found to release toxic compounds, including five out of 13 tested products for children.

Lithner, from the department of environment sciences at Gothenburg, studied the toxicity of 83 randomly selected plastic products and synthetic textiles, according to a Gothenburg statement.

The newly purchased products were leached in pure (deionised) water for 100 days. The acute toxicity of the water was then tested using water fleas (Daphnia magna).

“A third of all the 83 plastic products and synthetic chemicals that were tested released substances that were acutely toxic to the water fleas, despite the leaching being mild.

“Five out of 13 products that were intended for children were toxic, for example bath toys and buoyancy aids such as inflatable armbands,” says Lithner.

Plastic polymers are not regarded as toxic, but there may be toxic residual chemicals, chemical additives and degradation products in the plastic products that can leach out as they are not bound to the plastic polymer. Plastics also cause many waste problems.