Are we toying with danger?

Recent cases of toxic chemicals in toys and poisoning of children focus attention on product safety

Do not assume that all toys on shelves in Singaporeare safe to play with. Considerations such as where the toy was made, what materials it is made of and whether it is ageappropriate are more important that just the cute factor. More than 70 people – mostly parents – were given these pointers at a toy safety seminar organised by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) yesterday at Paya Lebar’s Singapore Post Centre.
 
There are two types of toy hazards, said the head of emergency medicine at KK Women’s and Children’s
Hospital, Dr Ng Kee Chong, who was one of four experts speaking at the seminar: Those due to the physical
mechanics of the toy and those due to its chemistry make-up. “Some toys have sharp parts that can cut a child,
or small pieces that can be a choking hazard. Toys can also contain lead,” said Dr Ng. “In the long run, exposure can lead to vomiting, stomach ache and even brain developmental problems.”  The seminar comes on the back of recent cases in which harmful materials were found in toys globally, including Singapore.

In August, the Taiwan Consumers’ Foundation, an association under the island’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, found harmful levels of plasticisers and heavy metals in popular toy dolls sold at some major toy retailers and online shops. In February, 17 students from a Singapore primary school were taken to hospital for vomiting and diarrhoea. The cause was traced to a China-made plastic toy they had played with during their school’s science fair.

A recent Case test of 50 toys bought from major stores found that nearly half had excessive amounts of toxic chemicals such as lead and phthalates – a substance that helps make plastic flexible. In reaction, top retailers like Carrefour and Toys ‘R’ Us pulled the toys off their shelves. Case chief executive Seah Seng Choon said the
association has received nine complaints about toys so far this year, up from just one for the whole of last
year.

Toys imported into Singapore are not screened and importers are not compelled by law to carry out their own checks. Case has therefore been lobbying for more stringent safety regulations, especially for children’s products in the last decade. The Ministry of Trade and Industry is now reviewing the regulations to include
toys and children’s products on the list of items screened by Spring Singapore – which oversees the import
of some consumer products. The consumer watchdog will be conducting another toy test soon and will release the results in the first quarter of next year.

Father of two Rykel Lim, 30, who was present at the seminar with his wife and children, said: “There is a growing awareness that there are many unsafe toy products out there. I want to see what is being done about this.” However, he admitted that consumers had a part to play. “I will look at where the toy is  manufactured and also inspect its quality more closely from now on,” he said.

Others in the audience included Ms Li Wei, a retail sales executive in Metro’s toy department. “Attending this seminar will help us identify problems that our suppliers give us. I also came here to learn how to address customer concerns,” she said, adding that more customers now inquire about toy safety.

TOY SAFETY CHECKLIST