In many countries, an important route of entry for chemicals and metals is through consumer products. These substances can cause concern for consumer exposure, particularly in children. With international partners, IPEN has undertaken a study of the global impacts of this issue. Thus far, we have tested products in Armenia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia.

In 2019, IPEN and Safer Chemicals Alternative (ALHem) conducted analysis of the presence of banned or restricted phthalates in toys and childcare articles in Serbia. This study asked whether phthalates restricted by the national legislation in Serbia could be found in children’s toys and childcare articles in concentrations that violate the law. According to the Serbian Rulebook on restrictions and bans of production, placement on the market and use of chemicals, six classified phthalates are restricted in all toys and childcare articles with the limit of 0.1% by weight, including Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalates – DEHP. However, despite sanitary control of imported toys at the border, chemically unsafe toys are still broadly available on the market. This study found DEHP in 46.6% of toys and baby care product samples tested with concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 31.5%. Although all toys tested in the frame of the project contained CE mark on their labels or packages, more than 50% of samples contained high levels of phthalates, which violated the EU regulations and the national legislation of Serbia.

In December 2018, IPEN and Armenian Women for Health and a Healthy Environment (AWHHE) studied labels of 56 toys in 9 sales points in Arabkir, Nor Nork and Kentron communities in Yerevan. AWHHE studied labels in stores and discovered that toys with the unknown composition are sold on the Armenian market, which can endanger children's health. They studied labels of 56 toys in 9 sales points in Arabkir, Nor Nork and Kentron communities and found out that 91% of the toys have been imported from China. In the case of 78.6% of toys, the names of the substances used in toys are not mentioned in the labels; 43 of the toys (76.8%) out of 56 do not specify the name of the producer or manufacturer; brand name information was missing on 40 toy labels; and the barcode was not indicated on 13 labels.

In 2018, IPEN also studied products purchased in Belarus and Nepal, and also additional products purchased in the Philippines (following our original study in the Philippines in 2011 (see below)). In Nepal, IPEN and CEPHED conducted XRF screening of heavy metals in 52 children’s toys and laboratory analyses of 13 phthalates in 5 children’s toy samples. The results revealed that a high percentage of children’s toys studied contained at least one harmful heavy metal above the legal limit set by the Nepalese Toy Standard, and the smaller analysis for phthalates revealed extremely high levels of the endocrine disrupting plasticizer in all toys sampled.

In Belarus, Center for Environmental Solutions studied labels and content of 29 plastic toys and children-related products from 12 sales points in Minsk, Belarus. All these products can be easily purchased by consumers in supermarkets, stores, and open markets. Out of 29 purchased items, 27 toys were tested for concentration of toxic metals and bromine, using XRF-method at Arnika Association in the Czech Republic. Another 2 toys were tested for phthalates in the Greenpeace Laboratories (UK) and Eurofins Consumer Product Testing (Germany). None of the product samples contained information about specific chemicals used in products, including plastic additives like phthalates and others. many of the products contained hazardous ingredients; for example, half of the toys contained dibutyl phthalate, which is banned in the Eurasian Economic Union.    

From the new data in the Philippines, IPEN and EcoWaste Coalition found that 32 out of 100 sampled toys (32%) contained one or more toxic metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury above levels of concern, of which 22 (22%) screened positive for lead up to 198,900 ppm, despite the explicit ban on the use of lead in the production of toys. Furthermore, none of the toy samples containing toxic metals indicated the presence of such chemicals on the label, and nocautionary statements or graphic warnings were provided for buyers and users, showing that the country's labeling requirements are not effectively enforced.

In December 2012, we conducted a study of children’s products in six countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia (EECCA): Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine. The study measured toxic metals in 569 children’s products purchased at random from markets in Yerevan (Armenia); Minsk (Belarus); Almaty (Kazakhstan); Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan); Aprelevka, Kolomna, Moscow, Sochi, and Volgograd, (Russia); and Kiev (Ukraine). Measurements were performed using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF) and focused on lead, mercury, arsenic, antimony, cadmium, and chromium. Approximately 27% of the products contained at least one toxic metal of the six metals that were measured in the study and 13% contained more than two or more toxic metals, increasing the potential for harm. Ironically, children are often more protected from these metals in soil than they are in toys – even products often placed in the mouth. For example, when compared with the regulatory limits for these metals in soil in many EECCA countries, 104 products (18%) were greater than the limit for lead, 18 products (3%) exceeded the limit for mercury, 45 products (8%) were higher than the regulatory limit for arsenic, and 75 products (13%) were higher than the limit for antimony. Toys that children play with and put in their mouth should be at least as protected as the soil they walk on.

Starting in the Philippines in August 2011, we measured toxic metals in 435 children’s products in Cebu, Davao and the metro Manila area in the Philippines. Approximately 29% of the products contained at least one toxic metal above levels of concern. The data revealed 67 products (15%) that contained lead at or above the US regulatory limit. Fifty-seven samples (13%) contained more than one toxic metal. The study also found children’s toy cosmetics with mercury levels ranging from 4 – 77 times higher than the regulatory limit in the Philippines. The findings raise safety concerns for exposure in children and highlight the need for protective national regulatory policies. To our knowledge, this was the first publicly available investigation of toxic metals in children’s products in the Philippines (expanded upon as mentioned above by IPEN and EcoWaste Coaltion in 2018). In December 2011, we expanded our examination to China. Due to the extensive production of toys and other consumer products, exposure to chemicals and metals from consumer products can take place throughout the lifecycle. These substances can cause concern for consumer exposure, particularly in children. This study, conducted by Greenpeace East Asia and IPEN, measured toxic metals in 500 children’s products purchased in five Chinese cities: Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Wuhan. Overall, the data indicated that approximately one-third of the products contained at least one toxic metal above levels of concern. The data revealed 48 products (10%) that contained lead at or above the regulatory limit in China. Eighty-two products (16%) exceeded the 90 ppm regulatory limit for lead content in paint used in the US and Canada. Forty-six samples (9%) contained more than one toxic metal. Five children’s products contained mercury at levels ranging from 39 – 78 times higher than the regulatory limit for mercury in cosmetics in China. The findings raise safety concerns for exposure in children due to extensive hand to mouth behavior and highlight the need for protective national regulatory policies. The high percentage of products with zero or low levels of metals (67%) indicates that elimination of metals in children’s products is technically and economically feasible. To our knowledge, this is the first publicly available investigation of toxic metals in children’s products in China.