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The most dangerous place in the house: your child's toys
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Children's toys are necessary not only for a child to have fun, but also for his development. Unfortunately, manufacturers of goods for the little ones do not always adhere to production technology and sometimes such toys pose a mortal danger to a child.
The main threat to the baby's health is the coating of toys. To produce goods for children, companies often use synthetic and polymeric materials based on such dangerous compounds as vinyl chloride, styrene, ethylene, acrylic acid, formaldehyde and propylene.
Even a toy made from natural materials – cotton, wool, wood and rubber – can pose a health hazard. All the naturalness of the materials is destroyed by enamels and paints containing harmful elements
Just imagine how dangerous contact with such toys is, because the baby touches it, inhales its smell, and can put it in his mouth.
Before buying a toy, carefully examine and smell it. Sharp and bright colors, as well as an unpleasant smell of the product should immediately alert you. These details are very important, because too flashy colors can traumatize the child's psyche and negatively affect vision, and the presence of an unpleasant smell should immediately discourage you from buying such a toy, no matter how beautiful and interesting it is.
The most dangerous substances for a child's health are lead, phthalates and cadmium.
Lead can cause nausea and vomiting, headaches, blindness, and seizures. Poisoning occurs when a person breathes lead dust or swallows its enzymes.
Phthalates are used in industry. This chemical, used to make plastic, can cause serious behavioral problems in children and disrupt the endocrine system.
Cadmium is very useful for color saturation, but it is very harmful to humans. In the list of 275 most dangerous toxic substances, cadmium is number seven.
Remember that a quality product always has a hygienic quality certificate. Avoid unauthorized trade places and ask the seller for documents on toys, so as not to turn your home into a warehouse of goods hazardous to health.