Toys sold in the EU may contain currently unknown endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that migrate during ‘mouthing’, according to a study by scientists at a French regulatory agency and the Austrian Research Institute for Chemistry and Technology (OFI).
Led by OFI’s Christian Kirchnawy, the team simulated the process of children mouthing toys using a solution that mimics saliva. Then, using bioassays, they tested the complex mixtures of compounds that had migrated out of the toys for their capacity to disrupt the endocrine system.
The 18 products tested ranged from soft toys and dolls to teething rings and building games. They were made out of a variety of materials including plastics, PVC, wood, steel and fabric.
Nine of the 18 products showed significant oestrogenic activity. For seven of those, the source of the activity could not be accounted for by reference to a list of 41 known or suspected EDCs that the team compiled primarily from literature reviews of substances authorised for use in food packaging materials.
The scientists say in their paper, published in Plos One, that this indicates that the activity was caused by currently unknown EDCs.
In order to reflect realistic exposure scenarios, the team tested toys after delivery, meaning that EDCs could have been transferred from packaging to the toy during transit. They suggest that analysis of packaging material – and comparison with toys fresh from production – would be interesting areas of future research.
The results suggest that, on its own, regulation of known EDCs, such as BPA and certain phthalates, is unlikely to be sufficient to completely eliminate any potential risk associated with these products. However, the effects observed in the study were low compared to effects associated with EDCs that occur naturally in food, such as phytoestrogens.
The study team comprised scientists from OFI and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses), which provided some funding.
In the EU, chemicals in toys are regulated under the toy safety Directive, which applies to all toys sold in the EU, regardless of where they are manufactured. The legislation includes a general ban on the use of substances with 1A, 1B or 2 classifications for carcinogenicity, mutagenicity or reproductive toxicity. It also imposes migration limits for some substances.
Last year ministers from 11 member states pressed the EU to take direct action to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of controls on chemicals under the Directive.