Slime toys are quite popular among kids and have been for years. Now it turns out 8 brands of slime could have major health risks for kids, the BBC reports.
Consumer group Which? has done an investigation on 11 popular slime brands. It turns out 8 of them had higher than recommended levels of the chemical boron.
One of the brands had more than 4 times more than the EU safety limit allows. The consumer group urges parents to be more cautious and also calls for retailers and governments to step in.
Some retailers already did. Amazon removed all eight brands from its online store. ‘All marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don’t will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account. The products in question are no longer available’, says Amazon in a statement to ToyNews.
The permitted level for boron in all children’s toys is 300mg/kg.
Of those tested by Which? the worst was Toysmith Jupiter Juice with 1,400mg/kg, followed by CCINEE Pink Fluffy Slime with 1,000mg/kg and Cosoro Dodolu Crystal Slime Magic Clay with 980mg/kg.
The best of the slimes tested were H Grossmans’ Goopy Slime, Glam Goo Deluxe Pack and Planet Slime Shop’s Hulk Green Halloween Slime.
Of the results, HGL’s managing director, Martin Grossman said: “I am not surprised by these results, there are lots of unsafe products out there, we make sure that our slime and putty is of a high standard, good quality and good play value.”
The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) spokeswoman Natasha Crookes said: “There are a large number of substances that are restricted from being used in toys for safety reasons. Borax is one of those and it is worrying to see so many failing safety tests. Our advice would be to look for reputable toy makers and retailers. Members of the BTHA can be found on our website and when looking for toy retailers, try to visit retailers you recognize or look for the name behind the online brand – look at the reviews of sellers, do they have a track record in selling toys and if something looks too good to be true (particularly on price), it probably is.”
