New research, suggests that there are more than a hundred chemicals present in plastic that can cause children some serious health problems. Plastic is made up of a formula that results in a chain reaction that affects the health of an individual. This study provides findings that might eventually lead to stricter international regulations. It has long been known that different types of harmful chemicals and other substituents are used for manufacturing plastic toys. The process of manufacturing takes place in different parts of the world with different thought processes and different quantities. Since the chemicals are completely blended with plastic, it gets very hard to figure out which plastic toys contain chemicals and which do not. Risks due to chemical exposure lead to physical or mental disorders. In different regions of the world, regulations on plastic toys and labeling vary as per the demographical area. Also, if you talk about banning the use of plastic then there are no international agreements for it.
In most regions, rules are imposed to focus on certain chemicals used in toys that are extremely harmful such as phthalates but do not cover the wider range of chemicals found in plastic toys. The consumption and production of plastic are expanding day by day. This is a critical issue because if children keep using plastic toys, it may result in mass reduction of population and also, pollution of the environment.
Researchers and experts from different organizations like DTU and The University of Michigan together with the UN environment conducted a deep survey about the spread of plastic toys and this issue is now huge. They analyzed a real dataset on chemical functions and how these chemicals react when coming in contact with an individual skin of children mainly. The researchers marked the chemicals according to their health risk with 1 being the most harmful.
Plastic toys are very fascinating to children, and sometimes, they even put those toys in their mouths which can result in a potential health risk. Hence, researches and regulations are very vital to decrease plastic consumption or increasing safe plastic manufacturing.
