Toying with Toxics: An Investigation of Lead and Cadmium in Soft Toys in Three Cities in India
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Toys made up of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) are a potential source of risks to children. Lead and cadmium, known neurotoxins and nephrotoxins, are added into PVC or other plastic products as colouring agents in form of organo-metallic compounds.
The objective of the study were to ascertain the total content of lead and cadmium in the sampled PVC toys and other soft toys collected from three metropolitan cities of India - Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai and to understand the usage and the potential risks involved for the children with these PVC toys.
The laboratory tests revealed that out of 111 toy samples tested, 77 were found to be made of PVC materials. All the 88 samples further tested were found to contain lead and cadmium in varying concentrations. However, India still does not have any enforceable standard for the total content of lead, cadmium and other toxics metals in toys.
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