Are You Aware Of The Danger Lurking In Toys?

Sarbajeet Mukherjee, General Manager, Consumer and Retail Services, South Asia – UL, gives us an insight into preventing playtime from turning deadly

 

A social media page of a popular apartment complex in Bengaluru was recently in an uproar, when the father of a five-year old boy posted online about a harrowing experience. His son had developed an adverse reaction to Slime, a popular jelly-like toy that he had picked up at the apartment grocery store. Soon after the child came in contact with the squishy, bright coloured material, the skin on his hands peeled off, revealing his veins— an obvious response to the toxic chemicals in the toy.

Accidents such as these, sometimes have fatal consequences. Unfortunately, they are not uncommon in India. This is not surprising, given the dangerous combination of the lack of regulations that allows the flood of substandard toys (both imported and domestically manufactured) and poor awareness of safety issues on part of the consumers, which makes the Indian toy market almost lethal in its scope.

Unsafe toys are not a myth

Like any other product, toys can be deadly if they are not made according to quality and safety norms. The harsh reality, often overlooked, is that toys pose a minefield of risks—small parts (wheels, buttons) are choking hazards, toys with strings are strangulation risks, poor quality electric toys can cause burns and shocks. Toys with sharp edges and points and those with poor design or construction material are overtly unsafe.