Toys are a fundamental part of every child's life. However, if they are not chosen carefully, they can become a threat. According to ANSES, the national food safety agency, children's toys that include borax may contain levels of chemicals that can trigger health problems. To what extent the famous slime paste, known as Slime, could be harmful to your children?
What is borax?
Borax is a natural mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. It is commonly used as a detergent or insecticide.
An article by Rebecca Sutton, Dr. and Senior Scientist of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) states that borax is not an environmentally friendly cleaning ingredient and is not recommended for use.
In addition, the NSW Food Authority reports that borax is a "toxic substance and presents an unacceptable risk to human health when used in food".
Experts warn people against buying viscous paste
Nikki Stopford, Research Director, said, "If you have children, you are probably aware of the latest trend of viscous pasta. "
This sticky, elastic paste is one of the most popular toy trends in 2018, with millions of YouTube videos and social media publications.
Given the magnitude of the craze, surveys were conducted, testing 11 toys on sale. The result has raised serious concerns. For although European Union safety rules require that liquid or sticky toys should not contain more than 300 mg of boron per kg, 8 of the 11 viscous products tested had exceeded this dose.
Products containing more than 300 mg / kg of boron include:
- Jupiter Juice (Pink) by Toysmith
- Fluffy Slime (pink) by CC INEE
- Crystal Slime Magic Clay (pink) by Cosoro Dodolu
- Baker Ross's Mini Bucket Putty (Green)
- Slime Toy (purple) by iBase Toy
- Fluffy Slime (blue) by LOYO
- Brezeh Free Slime Toy (orange) by Brezeh
- My Sluff Fluffy (green) by Virtuotrade
- (All were sold by Amazon)
Why is this substance harmful to health?
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has classified it as a health hazard, claiming that exposure to high levels of this substance can cause serious health problems, including allergies and respiratory irritation. . Indeed, in the Slime there are glues that contain preservatives such as formaldehyde and solvents and borax. Children's handling of Slime is therefore dangerous; if swallowed, it exposes them to other harmful effects such as diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. More importantly, it can even damage fertility, cause abortion or eye irritation.
Are there healthy alternatives?
It is best to avoid conventional recipes based on borax. There are many online recipes for making viscous paste without borax, usually composed of ingredients such as organic glue, cornstarch, food coloring and water, which may be better parents concerned about the potential dangers of the product. Moreover the presence of parents is essential when handling this kind of toy even when it contains only biological products because the child may put in the mouth or touch his eyes with his hands without having previously washed.
Duncan McMillan, Royal Society of Chemistry, added, "The viscous paste experiment is designed to be done by or with the supervision of a qualified teacher or responsible adult. And while it's fun for kids, like any experience, it's important to take health and safety seriously. "
