YOUR child is busy playing with toys. Do you take a second look if he/she bites on a doll or sucks a teether? You’d better. Because a study by ‘Toxic Links,’ an independent research group, has found that 65 percent of toys in the Indian market, both branded and unbranded, Chinese and Indian, are contaminated with lead.
The study found polyvinyl and painted metal toys to be laced with lead that can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system and kidneys and also affect the process of blood formation.
Highly toxic levels of lead were traced in branded dolls and even teethers that babies chew on.
According to doctors toxic heavy metal can cause low IQ, retarded mental growth, anaemia and even kidney failure in children.
It was believed that lead poisoning was caused only by close contact with paints and batteries, but the study has an alarming tale to tell parents who believe that branded toys are safe.
Concerned by the finding of the study the Indian Council of Medical Research has ordered an investigation into the safety of the toys in the Indian market. And the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also launched a study on the toys available here.
What concerns the authorities is the fact that there is no effective law in India to control the sale of lead-mixed toys. Though many other countries have started banning such toys, India is yet to act on this issue.
Worried by the spread of Chinese toys with lead content, the USA issued a ban last year, but ‘Made in China’ toys are still flooding the market in our country.
The shiny red train chugging along the little track and chubby dolls in pretty pink dresses could easily carry enough lead to pose health problems to children who often lick and chew toys. Since lead is stored in the body it can lead to problems later in the life too.
“Lead causes slow poisoning and it is not easy to detect the presence of lead in the beginning. Once it gets into the body this metal can affect almost all organs. Convulsions, anemia and discolouration of nails and teeth are the common symptoms of lead poisoning,” says pediatrician Dr M Narayanan.
Currently the toxicology lab at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and a couple of private labs in the city are equipped to test for lead poisoning.
Often the paints on toys come off as flakes which are swallowed by children.
Many parents believe that highly-priced toys are devoid of lead and other unsafe materials, but the study points a finger at toys that come under famous brands too.
“Branded toys come with such a long list of safety measures that it is difficult to think they pose any problem to children.
There should be some guidelines to parents for selecting toys that are child friendly,” says Praveena Madhu, a mother of two.
It is high time the government took adequate measures to check the quality of toys available in the market. Though new toys, branded and unbranded, come to shops almost every day, no one has taken the initiative to check their quality and ensure that they are safe for children.
“The problem is that people tend to buy Chinese toys which are very attractive and priced low. And there is so much variety that parents often overlook the fact that they could be made of unsafe materials,” says Sandhya Nair, a consumer activist.
Toys made locally also need to be tested for their quality as they cater to a good number of children who are unaware of what happens when they chew the finger of their favourite little doll.
ts_preetha@epmltd.com