( New Delhi: Children are being exposed t...)Dangers Lurking in Soft, Cuddly Toys,Health

New Delhi: Children are being exposed to the risk of liver damage or disruption in mental health due to alarming levels of lead and cadmium found in plastic and other soft toys //sold in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai, says a new study.

"Dangerous levels of lead and cadmium have been found in PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) and soft toys being sold in the markets," said Toxics Link, an environmental non-governmental organisation, in its study released here Monday.

Soft toys account for 35 percent of India's total production of toys.

With no legal and binding standards that stipulate the safety limits of the heavy metal contents in toys, internally manufactured or those imported, the issue of safety is left largely up to the manufacturers' discretion and judgment, the report states.

"Since a large number of toys are imported into India, cheaply, or are made in the informal sector, with little or no quality control, it was important and appropriate to examine the issue of lead and cadmium in toys," said Ravi Agarwal, director Toxics Link at a press conference here.

"It is common to see small children and infants chew and play with soft plastic toys, which are the subject of this investigation."

Lead and cadmium are proven poisons, being neurotoxins and nephrotoxins. Neurotoxins are agents that can cause toxic effects on the nervous system while nephrotoxins are agents that can cause toxic effects on the kidney.

Even the tiniest amounts can have long-term and measurable effects on children, while at the same time displaying no distinctive symptoms.

Lead being a cumulative in nature is absorbed into the blood stream, some of it is filtered out and excreted, but the rest is distributed in the liver, brain, kidneys and bones.

All toys samples examined contained varying concentration of lead and cadmium. Eight samples (close to 30 percent) from Mumbai contained more than US C
'"/>




Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Dangers of heat
2. Dangers of Low Calcium Intake
3. Dangers of sunlight
4. Dangers from lead
5. The Dangers Of Herb-Drugs Evaluated
6. Dangers Of Cigarette Smoke
7. The Dangers Of Prescribing Antibiotics
8. The Dangers Of Sleep Apnea
9. The Dangers Of Anorexia
10. The Dangers Involved In Smoking During Pregnancy
11. The Dangers Of Vitamin A To Pregnant Women To Be Included On Label