Season of goodwill and scare stories

Date: 11/12/1997

By Leyla Linton

DESPITE the huge range of European safety standards for toys, the festive season always produces a raft of warnings about the potential risks posed by counterfeit products.

Horror stories include the tragedy of a child who choked to death on the hair of a counterfeit toy figure and mechanical eating dolls made by a leading toy manufacturer which munched through their young owners' hair.

Toymakers' joy at the prospect of bumper Christmas profits is tinged with dread at the almost inevitable headlines during Advent alerting parents to the dangers of some products.

The latest scare has been triggered by a Greenpeace campaign on PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is used in many toys. Greenpeace claims the soft plastic contains hazardous chemicals which leach when chewed on by children.

The pressure group claims that experiments on laboratory animals have found evidence that such chemicals cause certain types of cancer, liver and kidney disorders, and damage to the reproductive tract. “We think that clearly PVC is not suitable for toys for small children and should be banned EU-wide,” said Axel Singhofen, the organisation's European toxics adviser.

Authorities in Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands have all expressed concern about the chemicals.

But Maurits Bruggink, secretary-general of Toy Industries of Europe, which represents toymakers, vigorously defends its use. “PVC toys have been produced for 50 years. It is a material which has been extensively researched and there were no scientific reports that PVC was bad. It is a safe product which is durable, easy to clean and does not have sharp edges.”

Referring to fears that some chemicals found in PVC have an effect on reproductive hormones, Bruggink added: “We have not seen children changing from girls to boys. It just does not cut ice.”