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Toys sold in India contain
dangerous levels of lead
8 September, 2007:
Chinese and Indian toys – both branded
and unbranded – available in the
Indian market have been found to have
high lead content.
A shocking 65% of toys available in
India is contaminated with lead, and
14% is heavily contaminated, according
to a special investigation conducted
by CNN-IBN and Toxic Links, an
independent research group. This was
the first-ever scientific testing of
branded toys available in the Indian
market.
In children, lead can cause low IQ,
retarded mental growth, and even
kidney and liver failure.
Mattel Incorporated had, on September
5, 2007, recalled 7,000 toys in India
for high levels of lead paint.
According to Dr Abhay Kumar,
coordinator of Toxic Link, low lead
exposure for a long time can create
lead-related problems. So even if some
toys have
lower concentration of 600 ppm
(particles per million), they can pose
problems for children.
The investigators randomly picked up
toys, including those of famous brands
like Mattel and Disney, from stores in
Delhi and made a startling revelation
after scientific tests: 40% of the
toys were made in China, and 70% of
these contained trace to heavy amounts
of lead.
A rubber duck bought at a Lifestyle
store contained as much as 631 ppm of
lead, well above the international
safety standards. (Lead level above 90
ppm in toys is considered dangerous.)
Over 70% of all toys sold in India are
made in China, but India has no safety
standards for toys. The Bureau of
Indian Standards does have voluntary
guidelines, but they are seldom
followed.
Countries like the United States, says
Ravi Agarwal, chairman of Toxic Links,
have a consumer protection body which
monitors safety and also works with
the manufacturers to make sure that
the consumer is safe, but India does
not have any such arrangement.
Agarwal added: “How much lead is safe?
That has been a matter of constant
scrutiny. The World Health
Organisation has been steadily
reducing its safety levels. What this
means is that there are no safe
levels.”
The contaminated toys are not only
Chinese but also branded Indian toys,
available at leading stores across the
country. “This shows that, even with
branded toys in big stores, you are
not sure of what you are getting. Some
toys you pick up may have high levels
of lead,” Agarwal said.
What is worse, products like teethers,
a segment ball and rubber duckie,
meant for 3-month-old children, were
found to be the most toxic.
The Indian toy industry, which has a
turnover of Rs 2,400 crore a year,
spends little on safety, say consumer
activists.
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