Release of Heavy Metals from Plastic Statuettes Used as Souvenirs and/or Toys Handled by Children.

Pietro Pandolfi,Maria Pia Sammartino,Virgilio Stillittano,Giovanni Visco,Pasquale Avino

doi:10.3390/ijerph19010236

Abstract

Different plastic toys are on sale in the Italian market: they are sold as souvenirs and/or as toys. Such statuettes, called Gongoli, represent a famous character (a soccer player, a politician, the Pope, etc.). In particular, these products are widely sold, but the material composition is not sufficiently defined. Further, the effect of the release of dangerous compounds on human health is not sufficiently documented. Following this hypothesis, a study on eight different statuettes was carried out both for evaluating the possible presence of heavy metals and for evidencing their release from these objects. Preliminary analysis by means of EDS spectroscopy highlighted the percentage chemical composition of different products, especially the presence of total Cr and Ni. Release tests evidenced the release of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb: Pb reached 74 mg kg−1, which is an interesting value even if it is lower than reported in the legislation. This study should be considered preliminary due to its limitations, such as the number of items investigated and the large variability found for some elements, but it highlights a serious problem related to the classification of these products which are marketed as souvenirs but manipulated by children.

Highlights

Weidenhamer and co-authors [4,5] presented interesting findings in this field: they studied the release of some metals, lead, in low-cost objects used by children
One of the main causes of this danger could be due to colorful toy cars and dolls: their plastics contain phthalates, some of which are shown to be carcinogenic or show properties which may be hazardous to human health [8,9]
Even if the possibility of carrying these objects in the mouth is only a conjecture, it should be considered that exposure to hazardous heavy metals may occur via oral pathways

Summary

Introduction

Several studies have focused on the determination of heavy metal contamination in toys [1,2,3]. Weidenhamer and co-authors [4,5] presented interesting findings in this field: they studied the release of some metals, lead, in low-cost objects used by children. This topic has been sufficiently studied and investigated, millions of toys that are dangerous to the safety and health of consumers, and especially children [3,6,7], are seized every day by competent authorities around the world. Contamination risk is very high, especially for children as a very sensitive subpopulation [10,11,12]

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Results

Conclusion