With the Christmas holidays approaching, the question of gifts naturally arises. And yet, plastic toys should be avoided, for several reasons. This is mainly a health issue, with the presence of sometimes dangerous products in these objects.
Everyone knows it:plastic is ubiquitous in our society . Obviously, the children's room is not spared and mainly with regard to toys. The fact is that these objects can contain particularly dangerous products including phthalates, commonly used as plasticizers for plastics. These phthalates are a group of chemicals derived from phthalic acid , an eye and respiratory tract irritant.
Be aware that phthalates have been banned for almost 20 years and have been replaced by other substances on the side of toy manufacturers. However, a study conducted by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in 2018 estimated that 20% of plastic toys still contain phthalates.
Most plastic toys are produced in Asian countries. However, there is no transparency on the means of production. However, it is known that the manufacture of plastic toys is very energy-intensive, polluting and very water-intensive! In addition, the millions of containers traveling thousands of kilometers to the points of sale also have a carbon impact.
When plastic toys reach the end of their life, they most often end up in landfill. In addition, these objects contain more and more electronic components, batteries or other materials that are difficult to recycle. In short, there is no real solution for recycling plastic toys.
You should also know that old plastic toys are to be avoided. For example, an old toy found in an attic may contain substances now prohibited . If it is a question of phthalates, it can also be lead as well as cadmium, present in certain paints. For example, LEGOs from the 70s-80s should be avoided for this reason. According to some experts, preference should be given to toys made of noble materials such as wood.
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