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Nothing says “happy childhood” like a brand-new toy, a playground set, or an afternoon of arts and crafts. Unfortunately, just like bubble baths and pajamas, these items can contain chemical or physical dangers to children of which parents need to be aware.

Children’s developing bodies and brains are more vulnerable to physical and chemical dangers in the environment than adult bodies and brains. A product marked “non-toxic” or “safe” may contain acceptable levels of a chemical for an adult, but these levels may be far beyond the levels that are tolerable for a child. One reason that children are so vulnerable is that they are still growing and developing. This growth isn’t steady. It proceeds in fits and starts with rapid growth in the first year of life, slower growth during toddler and school age years, and a surge forward in adolescence, before it stops altogether.

Along the way, there are several critical “windows”: growth spurts, various stages of pre-puberty and puberty, and other changes involving complex interactions of hormones, nerve cells in the brain, nutrition, and sleep, among other things. If this process is interrupted or disturbed, there can be serious repercussions for a child: a lower IQ, a hormone-dependent cancer, the development of asthma, or other chronic health problems. When this delicate balance is combined with a child’s greater pound-for-pound intake of air, water, and food, their hand-to-mouth behavior, and greater proportion of time spent close to the ground (where both airborne and solid toxins collect), it’s easy to see why children are at such an increased risk. With these facts in mind, here is some advice aimed at making the playtime environment a little safer:

1. While most painted wood toys are safe, it helps to buy toys made in the United States, Canada, or Europe, where standards are more strictly enforced. Some toys made of painted wood and some plastic toys, including toy jewelry items, especially those made in China, have high levels of lead. These products are typically recalled when the problem is discovered. The Consumer Product Safety Commission posts these recalls online, as does the website http://www.recalls.gov. If a toy you own is recalled, take it away immediately and follow the company’s instructions on how to get a safe replacement. As a fun, safer alternative, buy natural wood toys and nontoxic, lead-free paints and turn this into a creative project with your child.


2. Paints and many other craft supplies can contain a range of environmental hazards, including heavy metals, solvents, and dusts. To avoid exposures to these hazards, children under 13 should never use materials labeled “Keep Out of Reach of Children” or which contain any sort of hazard labeling or cautionary wording on the label. Only products specifically labeled “Conforms to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) D4236” and AP (Ap-proved Product)/CP (Certified Product)/HL Health Label (Non-Toxic) (seals of the Arts & Creative Materials Institute) can be certain to be up to current safety standards. Products simply labeled “non-toxic” have still been found to contain lead and other harmful substances.


3. Chemicals called phthalates (actually a group of chemicals, some of which are known by the initials DEHP and DINP) are often used as plasticizing agents in vinyl, and leach out of the vinyl easily. In animals, phthalates can harm the reproductive system in males, interfere with normal development, and cause cancer of the liver and kidneys. Many of these same effects are suspected (though not yet proven) to occur in humans. In the U.S. and Canada, phthalates are banned from baby bottles, pacifiers, and plastic toys aimed at infants and toddlers, but may still be present in toys for older children, and in shower curtains, plastic wraps, and other vinyl or “PVC” items.


4. Outdoor play environments can also pose health hazards. Pressure-treated wooden play-sets containing arsenic can leave residues of the metal on children’s hands. Although the preservative copper chromium arsenate in wood was phased out of use at the end of 2003, many playgrounds and sets still have this wood in place. Older playground equipment may have been painted with lead-based paint. Grassy areas may have been sprayed with pesticides. To ensure a safer environment for children to play in, make sure painted items are not peeling or rusting, avoid spraying pesticides where children play, don’t allow them to play in grassy areas where pesticides have been sprayed, and replace arsenic-treated wood with newer items. Clean up standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Finally, always remember to put UVA/UVB sun block on children to protect them from damaging sunburns.

Remember that environmental safety is more than just avoiding toxic chemicals; it is also about creating an environment that is physically safe.

• Be aware of hazards such as small marbles, latex balloons, and other tiny parts that pose choking risks to young children and keep such toys away from children under three (or others who still “mouth” toys).
• Stay alert for sharp edges, electrical toys that heat up, projectiles (like darts), and toys that make loud noises.
• Make sure riding toys are kept where they cannot accidentally roll down stairs or off decks.
• Ensure that children wear helmets when riding bicycles, skateboards, and scooters.
• Watch out for toys with strings and cords that may strangle infants and toddlers.
• Finally, pay attention to the media environment, looking out for age-inappropriate content in books, TV shows, computer and video games, and Internet sites.

We can never completely insulate our children from risk, but by taking steps to eliminate these hazards and by sharing these recommendations with friends and relatives, you can make playtime a much safer time.

Source: Center for Environmental Oncology of UPCI

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