Toxic metals in children’s products

Toxic Metals in Children’s Products is a study which looked at 569 different children’s products, mainly toys, on the market in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine in 2012. The results provide information that consumers can use to make informed choices about products for their children. In addition, the results should provide an impetus for strengthening regulatory policies and their enforcement in relation to consumer products. Tests revealed that approximately 30 percent of the toys sampled contained at least one toxic metal. These substances included well-known toxic elements such as lead, mercury, arsenic and antimony – all exceeding the limits established under Russian law and applied in the target countries.